Tiger Woods, Bryson DeChambeau involved in practice round mix-up
It may not be the fireworks golf fans were hoping for, but there has already been a bit of a PGA Tour-LIV Golf hiccup ahead of the 2023 Masters, and it involves Tiger Woods and LIV Golf defector Bryson DeChambeau.
Woods took to the links on Monday to play a practice round with his good friend and fellow PGA defender Rory McIlroy, which really isn't news to anyone who knows how close the five-time Masters winner and world No. 2 golfer are. But there was a bit of confusion ahead of the round when it was accidentally billed that Woods would be playing with DeChambeau — and the two are reportedly not on good terms anymore.
In fact, DeChambeau very recently said in an interview that Woods was non-responsive when the long-drive specialist texted the 15-time major winner on his birthday.
"Yeah, I’m not going to throw anyone under the bus. He’s been a great friend. I texted him on his birthday. It is what it is," DeChambeau, who is a 110-1 long shot to win the Masters, told Golfweek. "He has his viewpoints on it and thinks we’re potentially hurting his record. If anything, nobody is ever going to touch his record. That’s just it, that’s the bottom line. There’s a chance to grow the game even more and I hope one day he’ll see the vision that we all have out here."
Perhaps the silent response from Woods isn't all that unexpected. DeChambeau is one of the LIV Golfers involved in the antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour and given Woods' stance against LIV he may not be very eager to engage with anyone on the other side of the aisle. Other PGA golfers have said friendships have been strained because of the polarizing feud between the two leagues, so some tension between Woods and DeChambeau really isn't any different.
We'll just have to wait and see if DeChambeau has any run-ins with Woods once the Masters gets underway, or if the mix-up ahead of Monday's practice is all the drama golf fans will get.
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