Tiger Woods doesn’t speak to Bryson DeChambeau.
So says DeChambeau, who told reporters Thursday that Woods cut him amid the ongoing dispute between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, which will feature prominently at the Masters.
DeChambeau, who left the tour for LIV Golf, made the statement to reporters after a practice round for the league’s upcoming event in Orlando. He did so when asked directly if anyone had interrupted him amid the dispute, which has been riddled with lawsuits and bad blood and has strained relationships between players significantly.
“Yeah, definitely, I’m sure you can guess who.” DeChambeau said Adam Schupak of GolfWeek.
DeChambeau then confirmed that he was referring to Woods.
“He was a great friend,” DeChambeau continued. “I texted him on his birthday. It is what it is. He has his views on this and thinks we might hurt his record. If anything, no one will ever touch their record.
“That’s exactly that, that’s the bottom line. There is an opportunity to expand the game even further and I hope one day he will see the vision that we all have out here.”
Woods has not addressed the state of his relationship with DeChambeau. But when he ices it, it’s no surprise. Players have done little to hide the tensions between the two entities and their participants.
Take Patrick Reed – a defector from LIV Golf – and Rory McIlroy from the tour, for example. Reed threw a tee to McIlroy in January after McIlroy refused to recognize him on a driving range.
McIlroy is a leader on the tour and an outspoken critic of LIV Golf. The moment marked a simmering beef simmer between the two players that transcends just LIV Golf vs. PGA Tour. It was also a sign of the times and just an example of the feud extending to a personal level between players.
Wood’s alleged ghosting of DeChambeau is just the most recent example. Like McIlroy, Woods is a staunch PGA supporter and has been vocal in his criticism of the Saudi Arabia-backed tour, which has seen allegations of human rights abuses by sports laundry. The exodus of top players to LIV Golf, meanwhile, has threatened the status and bottom line of the tour.
This all serves as a harbinger of next week’s Masters, where players from LIV Golf and the PGA Tour will compete for one of the most coveted prizes in the sport. How will the players react to each other? Woods and DeChambeau were publicly affectionate and even hugged during last year’s PGA Championship.
But now tensions seem to have sidelined their relationship. Assuming Woods plays how she and other players interact with a Green Jacket on the line will be one of the most watched storylines in Augusta.
Source : sports.yahoo.com