Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson commit to PGA Tour amid Saudi league rumors
LOS ANGELES — Though speculation surrounding the two jumping ship was growing, both Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson distanced themselves from the rumored Saudi-backed golf league on Sunday.
The two, at least for now, are sticking with the PGA Tour.
“Over the past several months, there has been a great deal of speculation about an alternative tour, many of which seems to have included me and my future in professional golf,” Johnson said in a statement through the Tour. “I feel it is now time to put such speculation to rest. I am fully committed to the PGA Tour. I am grateful for the opportunity to play on the best tour in the world and for all it has provided me and my family.
“While there will always be areas where our Tour can improve and evolve, I am thankful for our leadership and the many sponsors who make the PGA Tour golf’s premier tour.”
DeChambeau followed suit with his own statement a few hours later, though his wasn’t quite as strong.
“While there has been a lot of speculation surrounding my support for another tour, I want to make it very clear that as long as the best players in the world are playing the PGA Tour, so will I,” DeChambeau said. “As of now, I am focused on getting myself healthy and competing again soon.”
— Bryson DeChambeau (@b_dechambeau) February 20, 2022
DeChambeau and Johnson have been some of the biggest names linked to the rumored Saudi-backed venture.
DeChambeau is currently recovering from hip and wrist injuries, and is targeting a return to play next month. Johnson, who is ranked No. 6 in the world, missed the cut this week at the Genesis Invitational.
“I don’t think it’s surprising,” said Rory McIlroy said after his final round at the Genesis Invitational, where he finished T10. “Like I’ve always reiterated, I feel like this is the best place to play golf if you’re an elite professional golfer … I was really glad to see DJ and Bryson put out those statements this week. We all want to play against the best players in the world and they’re certainly two of the best players in the world and it’s nice to know that they’re committed to making this the best tour in the world.”
Who is left for the Saudi league?
With both DeChambeau and Johnson committing to the Tour, there aren’t many left — at least publicly — willing to play on the potential Saudi tour.
The only one still advocating for it rather loudly is Phil Mickelson.
Mickelson, one of the more popular players in golf history, has been very clear that he’s not happy with how the PGA Tour is running things regarding media rights. Earlier this week, an excerpt from an upcoming book was released in which Mickelson slammed the Tour again, and said that he’d be willing to overlook the horrific things Saudi Arabia has been accused of doing in order to change the way the Tour operates.
“They’re scary motherf***ers to get involved with,” Mickelson said of the Saudis. “They killed [Washington Post reporter Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it?
“Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.”
Rory McIlroy slams Phil Mickelson
There have been rumors flying about the league for some time now, but nothing seems to be concrete or announced publicly — other than the fact that Hall of Famer Greg Norman is going to lead it. The Trump Organization is reportedly in talks to host several events at courses owned by the former President, too.
The proposed league is apparently trying to hold about a dozen events without any cutlines and much larger purses than currently seen on Tour starting sometime this summer. Mickelson and others have claimed there are several people interested, and even some already committed to joining, but it’s unclear who.
As more and more of the top players in the world back away from it, however, it’s hard to see who is actually left to make the jump — something that would undoubtedly put their Tour career in jeopardy, if not end it completely.
McIlroy, after seeing both DeChambeau and Johnson's decisions, couldn't help but lay into Mickelson after his round on Sunday.
“I don’t want to kick [Mickelson] while he’s down, obviously, but I thought they were naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant. A lot of words to describe that interaction he had with [author Alan] Shipnuck,” McIlroy said. “It was just very surprising and disappointing, sad. I’m sure he’s sitting at home sort of rethinking his positions and where he goes from here.”
Though Genesis Invitational winner Joaquin Niemann wasn't quite as harsh, he stood right alongside McIlroy and seemingly every other top golfer in the sport.
“Obviously, everyone’s here to compete against the best players in the world. I’m here to do the same,” Niemann said after his wire-to-wire win on Sunday. “I want to compete with the best players in the world, I want to be No. 1 one day. I think there’s nothing better than what I’m feeling right now … There’s nothing that can compete with this.”
