Those who follow professional golf will be well aware of Brandel Chamblee’s unapologetic hatred for LIV Golf and everything that it stands for.
Chamblee is one of the most outspoken golf analysts in the game and his wrath is often directed at LIV Golf.
Taking that into account, it was a huge surprise when Chamblee backed the OWGR’s decision to award LIV Golf with world ranking points.
What do you make of Brandel Chamblee’s comments on The Players Championship?
Chamblee raised some eyebrows with his comments on The Players…
“In every single way that a metric could be used to measure whether something is a major, the Players, to me, stands alone and above all the other four major championships as not just a major. It is in my estimation, the best major.“
However, he went back to his old ways just a few days later.
Chamblee suggested that the Players Championship should be a major because it has the strongest field in golf.
The fact that he holds that opinion when LIV stars like Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau haven’t played in the tournament for years is quite extraordinary.
Now, Chamblee has taken another dig at LIV, albeit in a roundabout way.
Brandel Chamblee shares the real reason why talented youngsters joined LIV Golf
LIV undoubtedly have some of the most talented golfers in the world amongst their ranks, including the likes of David Puig, his fellow Spaniard Jose Luis Ballester, Michael La Sasso and Tom McKibbin.
However, are they as good as some people would have you believe?
The controversial golf analyst has just made an appearance on The Sky Sports Golf Podcast.
And it was no surprise when the discussion quickly turned to LIV Golf.
Chamblee was asked why he believes certain young players decided to join LIV Golf in the first place.
“You know, they’ve they’ve done it because I don’t think they had a lot of confidence in their ability to make it at the highest level,“ Chamblee suggested.
“So they sort of sold themselves out, you know, they took the money, you know?
“That means they didn’t have the most confidence in themselves.
“You look at the benefits of playing the DP World Tour, the access you get, play your way on to the PGA Tour.
“How much money is available there, how much legitimacy is there, how much relevancy is there.
“Again, people watch sporting events that matter, that have weight.
“And by evidence of how few people watch LIV events, it’s pretty clear that even how they maybe haven’t articulated it with their voice, they do with their absence from watching it.
“People don’t watch LIV because they know these events have no weight, no historical meaning, no legacy, and they are invitation based, mostly.
“So, these young players, I think they sold their business at a discount, for the most part.“
Chamblee makes a very fair point there.
Is Brandel Chamblee’s criticism of LIV youngsters unfair?
Why would some of the talented youngsters like Puig, Ballester, La Sasso and McKibbin choose to play in meaningless events totally devoid of history and legacy, rather than join the PGA Tour?
The answer has to be that they did it for money and perhaps didn’t fully back themselves to make it at the very highest level of the game.
Who is the best young player on LIV Golf right now?
The challenge now for those names mentioned above will be to prove Chamblee, and the golfing world in general, wrong.
The fact that LIV now receive world ranking points — at least for those who finish inside the top 10 — should mean that the best golfers will have a real chance to compete in the majors on a consistent basis.
Puig and Ballester in particular seemingly have all of the tools required to become genuine stars in the professional game.
However, will LIV Golf hold them back and prevent them from reaching their full potential?
Chamblee clearly believes the youngsters on LIV don’t believe in their own ability, but only time will tell as to whether he is correct or not in that belief.
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