Brandel Chamblee does about face, calls for PGA Tour deal with Saudis, LIV Golf

Golf Channel commentator Brandel Chamblee, a staunch critic of both LIV Golf and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), has changed his opinion on professional golf’s current state of affairs.

He now believes the PGA Tour should complete a deal with the PIF, a reversal from his previous stances.

“The time is now, to [Rory McIlroy’s] point about making a deal, I wouldn’t have said that a year ago, I don’t think there are a lot of people within the world of golf that would be particularly enamored with the idea of making this deal,” Chamblee said on Golf Central late Thursday.

“But it is the better end of the bargain at this point.”

Chamblee has criticized the benefactors of LIV Golf because of its connection to the Saudi government, which has a horrible human rights record, subjugates women and LGBTQ individuals, and had links to the 9/11 attacks.

Chamblee has also said previously that a deal between the PGA Tour and the PIF would likely get blocked by the Department of Justice (DOJ) thanks to anti-trust violations.

The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), a subcommittee within the Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, has also held three hearings to date in an effort to better understand the PIF’s business dealings in the United States, including LIV Golf. The government has been all over this.

But like McIlroy has over the past few months, Chamblee has relegated to the fact that the PIF, which reportedly has over $700 billion in assets, is going nowhere.

“Look, the PGA Tour is in this pickle, like it or not,” Chamblee added.

“Do you want to compete indefinitely with someone who is not going to go away, who can outspend you, and if they are in business, every move they make that makes their tour better deletes your tour and causes more division within the tour.”

Professional golf remains in disarray, with dozens of major champions competing on separate tours. To end this schism, the two sides must come together and strike a deal. But as we have seen at the Wells Fargo Championship this week, different opinions on the future of golf have permeated across the PGA Tour. Until tour brass has a better understanding of how the future should play out—and have a consensus among them—a deal remains far away.

Yet, at least many within the golf industry, which now includes Chamblee, recognize that a deal is necessary.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.