Thirteen LIV Golf players are due to feature at The Masters this April, live on Sky Sports; LIV Golf members currently remain unable to compete on the PGA Tour as talks continue to unify the men's game; Rory McIlroy spoke about the split in the sport ahead of the Valero Texas Open
Wednesday 3 April 2024 23:42, UK
Bryson DeChambeau has backed Rory McIlroy's comments that golf's current ecosystem is "not sustainable" and says a deal needs to be quickly finalised between tours for the "good of the sport".
PGA Tour Enterprises board members and the Public Investment Fund (PIF), who bankroll LIV Golf, met in the Bahamas last month to work towards finalising details of the shock Framework Agreement that was announced last June to unify the sport.
Player director Tiger Woods was among those in attendance for talks with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, which PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan described as "constructive" in a memo to players, without revealing specific details.
LIV Golf players remain banned from competing on the PGA Tour, leaving the majors currently as the only events where golfers from both circuits can play against one another, with McIlroy quoted this week as saying the divide is "a shame for the overall game".
DeChambeau was among the players asked about the state of golf ahead of this week's LIV Golf League event in Miami, their final tournament before The Masters, where he said: "I think that from a player's perspective, it [golf] needs to come back together for the fans, number one.
"The fans are what drive this sport. If we don't have fans, we don't have golf. We are not up here entertaining. That's the most important thing as of right now, the low-hanging fruit. There's got to be a way to come together. How that comes together, that's above all of us out here.
"We can give input. We can have little moments where we say this would be a good idea or that would be a good idea, but, ultimately, it's up to the guys up top to figure it out and figure it out quickly, because we can't keep going this direction.
"It's not sustainable for sure, and we all respect that and recognise that and want the best for the game of golf. We all love this game and we want to keep playing it and we want to keep competing.
"The only answer is for us to somehow come together in some sort of terms where it makes sense and for us to be playing all again in somewhat of the same boat. It's great to have the majors where we come together, but we want to be competing with all of the best players in the world for sure.
"And it needs to happen fast. It's not a two-year thing. Like it needs to happen quicker rather than later just for the good of the sport. Too many people are losing interest."
DeChambeau will be part of a 13-strong LIV Golf contingent teeing it up at The Masters next week, exclusively live on Sky Sports, where Jon Rahm returns as defending champion and Brooks Koepka looks to go one better than last year's runner-up finish.
Three-time Masters winner Phil Mickelson also returns to Augusta National, having finished tied-second with Koepka last year, with the 53-year-old backing the sport to move through this "challenging" period for the better.
"We are in a transitional state where we now have competition and that's leading to a lot of disruption and change, but it's also in the end product going to make golf more global where the best players travel more," Mickelson said.
"I don't know how it's going to end out, exactly, or what it's going to look like. I'm putting my trust in Yasir [Al-Rumayyan] and where the game is headed more globally. At some point, when it gets ironed out, I think it's going to be in a much better place.
"But, right now, we are in the disruption phase, so we are in the middle of the process. When it's all said and done, it's going to be a lot brighter. But while we go through it, it's challenging. But we'll get there."
Wall-to-wall coverage from the tournament begins at 2pm over the first two rounds on Thursday April 11 and Friday April 12, with Featured Group action and regular updates from around the course available to enjoy on Sky Sports Golf until the global broadcast window begins at 8pm.
There will be lots of extra action throughout all four days via the red button on Sky Sports Golf, along with Sky Q and Sky Glass, providing plenty of bonus feeds and allowing you to follow players' progress through various parts of Augusta's famous layout.
Sky Sports Golf will show extended build-up content over the weekend and occasional live updates from the course before the global broadcast window starts at 8pm for the third round and 7pm for the final day, with early action available throughout via the red button.
Who will win The Masters? Watch live from April 11-14 exclusively on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins with Featured Groups on Thursday April 11 from 2pm on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, majors and more with NOW.
