Bryson DeChambeau will have pleased LIV Golf chiefs after one of the Saudi-backed league’s biggest stars paraded his US Open trophy at his former university. The American returned to Southern Methodist University to show off his prize to students watching the SMU Mustangs American Football team.
Back in the summer, DeChambeau pipped Rory McIlroy to the US Open. It was his first major championship and the first since he joined the LIV Golf tour in 2022.
The 31-year-old has been keen to show off the trophy since succeeding in June. However, perhaps his proudest moment was to share it with students at SMU.
DeChambeau attended the university between 2012 and 2016 and became the first alumni to win a golf major. The LIV Golf star received a huge round of applause from those watching the Mustangs against the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Mustangs led 31-3 against the league leaders when DeChambeau was introduced midway through. He paraded his trophy around in a big boost of publicity for LIV Golf.
Reports suggest that the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), which funds LIV Golf, is closing in on a deal with the PGA Tour to merge their tournaments. LIV Golf was created as a rival breakaway tour in 2022, with stars prepared to ditch the PGA Tour handed lucrative contracts.
According to The Sun, PIF will pay £1billion for an 11 per cent share in the PGA Tour. It will have two board members, including the coveted position of chairman. LIV Golf’s tournaments will come under the PGA banner.
A deal would end a two-year civil war in golf. Players who joined LIV were immediately banned from PGA and DP World Tour events. They only came up against PGA stars at major championships.
An agreement has taken well over a year to conclude. In the summer of 2023, a framework agreement for a merger was announced. There have been other signs that relations have improved, though, with an exhibition event between members of both tours in the works.
DeChambeau said after that event was announced: “We want to bring this game back to a place where I would say everyone has the opportunity to see the greatest play a lot more than four times a year. I think it’s a great opportunity to showcase how we evolve that over the course of time. The details are not very fully fleshed out yet.”
