Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee is never shy to criticize LIV Golf and its players. When Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm collapsed down the stretch of the PGA Championship, Chamblee jumped at the opportunity to bash the rival golf league.
During Golf Channel's "Live From the PGA Championship," Chamblee blamed LIV Golf for failing to prepare players for major championship golf.
"It matters where you play to be sharp, to be at your best, to test yourself against the best, which they’re not playing against the best week in and week out," Chamblee said. "When it mattered the most — 16, 17 and 18 — when you had to hit shots, when you had to control your nerves, when you had to control the rhythm of your golf swing, Scottie had it. Bryson didn’t. Rahm didn’t."
It's hard to argue against his point regarding the PGA Championship. During the third round, after DeChambeau took the outright lead late in the day, the two-time major champ bogeyed the 16th hole and double bogeyed the 17th after hitting his tee shot in the water. Meanwhile, Scheffler went 5 under in his last five holes on Saturday to grab the lead entering the final round.
As for Rahm, he made a run at Scheffler on Sunday and found himself in a tie for the lead early in the back 9. With the title in reach, the Spaniard went bogey-double bogey-double bogey in his last three holes to fall out of contention. Scheffler, after a rocky front 9, went 3 under in his first eight holes on the back 9 to separate from the pack. His bogey on the 18th hole hardly mattered with the six-shot lead he brought to the tee box.
Although Chamblee is right about their PGA Championship performances, many LIV golfers have been consistently competitive in major championships.
DeChambeau, for instance, has a win and four other top-six finishes in his last six major starts. Rahm has finished T7, T14 and T8 in his last three majors. Brooks Koepka won the PGA Championship in 2023. Patrick Reed has two top-five finishes in majors since joining LIV, and Cameron Smith has three top-10s.
Whether you are a fan of LIV Golf or not, it's a shame we don't get to see Bryson and Rahm compete against the PGA Tour's best players outside of the majors. It's a testament to their talent that they can show up and contend in majors. Talks between the PGA Tour and LIV appear to…
— David Dusek (@Golfweek_Dusek) May 18, 2025
Still, since LIV Golf formed in 2022, 10 of the 12 major champions in that span came from the PGA Tour. Maybe Chamblee has a point about LIV golfers not being properly prepared for major championship Sundays.
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