Brandel Chamblee questions faith of LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau
Brandel Chamblee has questioned the faith of LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau: "He's taking money from people who oppress the things he purports to stand for."
Brandel Chamblee is on the receiving end of a $750million lawsuit by Patrick Reed, which means it's probably best for him to keep shtum at the minute.
That being said, that didn't appear to stop him absolutely tearing into Bryson DeChambeau, questioning his Christian faith after signing up for the LIV Golf Invitational Series in a deal north of $100m.
When DeChambeau confirmed his long-assumed interest in LIV before their second event in Portland, the 2020 U.S. Open champion spoke of a change in his mindset.
Before and even during the pandemic, DeChambeau, 28, was involved in a few controversies that appeared to take their toll on his mental health. It led to a stretch where he even declined to speak to the media.
He has had several brushes with PGA Tour officials throughout the years, has been criticised over his pace of play, accused of not shouting "fore" and how could you forget his "feud" with Brooks Koepka.
DeChambeau also turned heads with his comments about whether or not he had been vaccinated.
According to GolfDigest one of the contributing reasons he left the PGA Tour - other than the money - was that he did not feel loved.
"More recently, he's [DeChambeau] been talking about how he's found God and become a Christian and I just wonder how he squares accepting money from a regime that is anti-Christian," Chamblee has been quoted as saying by ProGolf Weekly.
"You can't pull a Bible out in Riyadh without going to jail. They are misogynistic, they are anti-Semitic, there's no freedom of speech. He talks about his charities, about going home to do things, but meanwhile he's taking money from people who oppress the things he purports to stand for, which is philanthropic enterprises. That's where the money is coming from.
"He says he'll have a new legacy. He absolutely will have a new legacy, and it will be tarnished as a 100-year-old silver trophy that has been untouched up in a closet."
He continued, "I'd like to think there are plenty of people with enough money to say no. There are loads of people who have said no. … Rory [McIlroy] has said no. Justin Thomas has said no. I don't believe $200million, I don't think $500million, I don't believe a billion dollars would get Rory to say yes. I don’t think he will.
"Have they exposed a weakness? Yeah, OK. A lot of people can be paid enough money to not care about how their wives would be treated in Saudi Arabia, to not care how women are treated in Saudi Arabia, to not care about how gays are treated, to not care about people with no freedom of expression and no real freedom at all.
"There are people that will take enough money to turn a blind eye to that. But there are plenty of people I believe who say hold on a second, if you want to run this tour let's see real reform, let’s see real measured reform, let's hear from the women of Saudi Arabia, let's see pictures of them actually out in Riyadh without a burkha on, let me see them driving, let’s see them going out on a date, let's see them out playing golf. Let me see real measured reform. Let me see freedom of expression.
"It's never going to happen there. Not certainly under the rule of MBS, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. He couldn't be more oppressive. He couldn't be more in favor of centralizing power within himself to an extent that has never happened in Saudi Arabia. There's no evidence of reform in that country. Zero, other than his words, which were about as empty as Phil's were in his press conference [at the U.S. Open"
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