Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau to join LIV Golf

Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau are reportedly set to become the latest PGA TOUR members to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series.

The Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday that an announcement that Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau will join the LIV Golf Invitational Series is “imminent”. It was also stated that a deal with Rickie Fowler was close, as well.

Sports Illustrated confirmed the report and further stated that both Reed and DeChambeau would be joining the Saudi-backed series in time for its first United States-based event at the Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club near Portland, Oregon, from June 30th to July 3rd.

Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, and Bryson DeChambeau, the 2020 U.S. Open champion, are two big names on the PGA Tour. While it won’t ultimately set back the TOUR’s field as a whole, this could be the start of a small exodus of golfers motivated by larger earning potential and a new format.

Financed by the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, LIV Golf has committed a lot of money in an effort to build out its field – which will now see Reed and DeChambeau join Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, and Kevin Na as the organization’s biggest names so far.

Back in March, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman announced the first eight tournaments with prize money of $225 million. Each event has a prize pool of $20 million with an additional $5 million shared amongst the winning team. The final event will be a $30 million prize pool with an additional $50 million for the winning team.

With so much earning potential for professional golfers in the LIV Golf series, it was only natural that we’ve seen some familiar PGA TOUR members make the jump.

However, for many fans, there are still a lot of questions regarding viewing accessibility of events, ethics, and impact on the professional golf world as a whole. Pro Golf Now’s Bill Felber wrote a piece discussing four of those burning questions surrounding the new professional golf series.

The LIV Golf Invitational Series will kick off its first event at the Centurion Club near London, England this weekend. Each event will be a 54-hole, no-cut tournament with a 48-golfer field, drafted into 12 four-man teams, with shotgun starts.