Was that really Brandel Chamblee on the Golf Channel Thursday voicing tentative support for LIV Golf? Golf fans have been trying to make sense of it all since the outspoken analyst’s comments. Chamblee has been arguably the Saudi-backed venture’s biggest critic, once calling the LIV-PGA Tour merger one of the “saddest days in the history of professional golf.” Despite being criticized for allegedly being biased against LIV-affiliated golfers and even belittling LIV ratings by likening the sport to the “witness protection of sports viewership.”
So yes, golf fans were stunned by Chamblee’s comments during the WM Phoenix Open. The Golf Channel broadcast featured a statement from PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, along with player directors Tiger Woods and Adam Scott, regarding a meeting with President Donald Trump. “We asked the President to get involved for the good of the game, the good of the country, and for all the countries involved,” the statement read. “We are grateful that his leadership has brought us closer to a final deal, paving the way for reunification of men’s professional golf.”
Whether President Trump’s intervention in the PGA Tour’s discussions with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund—owner of LIV—will help resolve the pro golf rift remains to be seen. However, the author of Trump: The Art of the Deal can be quite persuasive, as evidenced by his influence on Chamblee after they played a round of golf together. “Look, I felt like it (Trump’s involvement) was inevitable after the election,” Chamblee said. “I had the pleasure of playing with President Trump last year, and almost after every single hole, when we would putt out, he would want to come over and talk to me about LIV Golf and the Saudis’ involvement in the game. He was so magnanimous about our differences, at one point he said, ‘Look, I know you and I differ on this opinion, but hear me out.’ He stated that Yasir [Al-Rumayyan, LIV Golf chairman] loves golf more than you do and more than I do. However, it’s hard to believe since President Trump is an avid golfer, as am I.”
Chamblee recounted that Trump consistently brought up the topic as the round progressed, sharing that the Saudis have “$32 trillion worth of oil underneath that sand” and are committed to diversifying their economy. “As we played, he wanted to discuss LIV and the Saudi involvement and how excited he was for it,” Chamblee noted. It seems Trump eventually wore down Chamblee’s resistance, as he acknowledged, “Geopolitical issues aside, of course I understand why we acquiesce and need Saudi Arabia as a partner in the Middle East. My issues were about the human rights concerns and how golf would have to eventually apologize for some issue. But he said, ‘Just look farther into the future. It’s going to be good for Saudi Arabia, good for the PGA Tour, and good for LIV.’”
While Chamblee admits that Trump provided him with a new perspective, he remains somewhat unconvinced. “At the end of the day, did I agree with him? No,” Chamblee reflected. “Yet, I must say he made strong points all day long. I wouldn’t describe him as adamant, but he was as opinionated as I was. I was glad to listen to him and, in the end, I would say he did change my mind, making me think of Yasir as a partner in the game of golf.”
Critics of LIV’s role in the sport argue that it serves as a means for the Saudis to “sportswash” the country’s human rights violations. These concerns are fresh; just days ago, Chamblee himself branded the Saudis a “murderous regime.”
Just 5 days ago, Brandel said LIV was funded by a “murderous regime” in a post about Phil Mickelson. This is an absolutely wild reversal! pic.twitter.com/97eQRJbwcM
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) February 7, 2025
Some fans criticized Chamblee on social media for his apparent change of heart, while others disagreed and asserted that he had not altered his stance. A few even praised him for expressing those thoughts during the broadcast.
Although haters come out en masse to blast him, Brandel handled himself with class, like few. Wouldn’t it be more fruitful to address his change of thinking with grace rather than self-righteousness? Good on him for admitting openness to resolution! Most aren’t willing to do so due to…
— Scott Kurtz (@cskurtz) February 7, 2025
