{"id":1252098,"date":"2024-06-17T11:00:21","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T11:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/golftoday.co.uk\/?p=1252098"},"modified":"2024-06-17T16:04:01","modified_gmt":"2024-06-17T16:04:01","slug":"new-us-open-champion-urges-pga-tour-and-liv-golf-to-figure-it-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/golftoday.co.uk\/new-us-open-champion-urges-pga-tour-and-liv-golf-to-figure-it-out\/","title":{"rendered":"New US Open champion urges PGA Tour and LIV Golf to \u2018figure it out\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bryson DeChambeau hopes golf\u2019s civil war will swiftly come to an end in the wake of his dramatic US Open victory<\/span><\/strong><\/a> over a devastated Rory McIlroy at Pinehurst.<\/p>\n

DeChambeau concedes he is \u201cpart of the reason\u201d for the schism in men\u2019s professional golf after joining LIV Golf two years ago and being one of the players to file an anti-trust lawsuit against the PGA Tour.<\/p>\n

The highly unorthodox American has often been a polarising figure, attracting fans with his prodigious hitting but putting off others by claiming that Augusta National was therefore a \u201cpar 67\u201d for him and trying to convince a referee to award him a free drop from an anthill because they were \u201cdangerous animals\u201d.<\/p>\n

His slow pace of play also sparked a petty feud with Brooks Koepka, while he was labelled a petulant eight-year-old by his equipment manufacturer after complaining his driver \u201csucks\u201d during the 2021 Open.<\/p>\n

The former US Amateur champion was also branded \u201cclassless\u201d by Butch Harmon after appearing to complain about not being conceded a putt during that year\u2019s Ryder Cup, a contest for which he said he had \u201cwrecked\u201d his hands by preparing to take part in a long-drive contest.<\/p>\n

However, starved of a mainstream audience since joining LIV, DeChambeau launched his own YouTube channel \u2013 which has around 700,000 subscribers \u2013 and appears to have succeeded in attracting a new, younger breed of fans who delighted in his relaxed interactions with them during play at Pinehurst.<\/p>\n

And that fanbase could be about to get more chances to follow DeChambeau with an announcement expected on Tuesday that significant progress has been made in talks between Saudi Arabia\u2019s Public Investment Fund (PIF) \u2013 which bankrolls LIV Golf \u2013 and the PGA Tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m to be quite frank, I hope we can figure things out quickly,\u201d DeChambeau said. \u201cI hope this can bridge the gap between a divided game.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I want to do is entertain and do my best for the game of golf, execute and provide some awesome entertainment for the fans. From at least what I can tell, that\u2019s what the fans want, and they deserve that.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can say what\u2019s happened in the past, you know, you were part of the reason\u2026. let bygones be bygones and go figure it out.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s figure out this amazing game that creates so much positivity (and get it) back to where it belongs.\u201d<\/p>\n

DeChambeau previously won the US Open when it was staged at Winged Foot in September 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but struggled to reproduce that kind of form and was sidelined for two months in 2022 after ignoring medical advice to compete at Augusta National.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe low point was after the Masters 2022,\u201d DeChambeau said. \u201cMy hand got broke. It was broke and I had to go to have surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought there was a chance I would not play high-level, competitive golf again, not knowing how it would affect my game and my speed and everything.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Bryson
Bryson DeChambeau celebrates after winning the 124th US Open at Pinehurst (Frank Franklin II\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThat whole four or five-month period was pretty rough. There were some definite low moments. Made me rethink a lot of things in life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere it turned the corner was a week before Greenbrier last year. I put a driver and shaft combination in play and that whole combination set-up just flipped the switch in me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went and shot 61, 58 on the weekend. I\u2019m like, \u2018OK, Bryson\u2019s here again. How do I turn this into major championship golf now?\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo right around that time frame is when things switched. I focused a lot of my energy on how to get another major title.\u201d<\/p>\n