Tiger Woods is not talking to Bryson DeChambeau.
That’s according to DeChambeau, who told reporters on Thursday that Woods has cut him off amid the ongoing dispute between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour that will play a featured role in 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 cut him off amid the dispute that’s tinged with lawsuits and bad blood and has placed a significant strain on relationships between players.
“Yeah, definitely. I’m sure you can guess who,”DeChambeau said, per GolfWeek’s Adam Schupak.
DeChambeau then confirmed that he was referring to Woods.
“He’s been a great friend,” DeChambeau continued. “I texted him on his birthday. It is what it is. 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.”
Woods has not addressed the state of his relationship with DeChambeau. But if he is icing him out, it comes as no surprise. Players have done little to disguise the tension between the two entities and their participants.
Take, for example, Patrick Reed — a LIV Golf defector — and the Tour’s Rory McIlroy. Reed tossed a tee at McIlroy in January after McIlroy declined to acknowledge him on a driving range.
McIlroy is a leader on the Tour and an outspoken critic of LIV Golf. The moment marked a boiling over of simmering beef between the two players that extends beyond simply LIV Golf vs. PGA Tour. It was also a sign of the times, and just one example of the feud extending to a personal level between players.
Woods’ alleged ghosting of DeChambeau is just the latest example. Like McIlroy, Woods is staunchly pro-PGA and has been vocal with his criticism of the Saudi-backed tour that’s drawn accusations of sportswashing human rights violations. The exodus of top-tier players to LIV Golf has, meanwhile, threatened the Tour’s status and bottom line.
This all serves as a preamble to next week’s Masters, where players from LIV Golf and the PGA Tour will compete for one of the most coveted prizes in sports. How will players react to each other? Woods and DeChambeau were publicly cordial and even shared a hug during last year’s PGA Championship.
But now, tensions appear to have overridden their relationship. Assuming Woods plays, how they and other players interact with a Green Jacket on the line will be one of the most-watched storylines at Augusta.
Source : Yahoo Sports