Brandel Chamblee Admits ‘Mild Disappointment’ Over The Players Missing LIV Golfers But Is Adamant Event Still Holds Significant Prestige
The Golf Channel analyst stated that he sees the PGA Tour’s flagship event as something of “a reward” for the best players on the European and US-based circuits.
Brandel Chamblee has passionately defended The Players Championship, stating that he considers the lack of top golfers participating in the event to be only a minor letdown in his opinion and it does not diminish the importance of the tournament with a long history and prestigious reputation.
Described as “the top field in golf” by the PGA Tour, The Players’ roster for 2024 is facing significant backlash due to the absence of some star players, some of whom have switched to the LIV Golf League.
During Chamblee’s appearance on the Golf Channel broadcast, it was mentioned that the champion of 17 out of 30 previous Major tournaments would not be attending this year’s Players Championship.
Chamblee acknowledged that the field may not be as high-profile as it has been in the past.
However, he emphasized that The Players is a prestigious event for the top male golfers on both the European and US tours.
Therefore, participants should consider themselves lucky to be a part of its esteemed history and reputation.
Chamblee said: “I look at the prestige of this event, the fact that some of the best players in the world are not here. It’s a mild disappointment. I love watching those guys play golf [Smith and Rahm], but they decided to play on another tour. This tour is meant to celebrate the best of the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour.
“The players that are going to LIV have been courted away not with prestige but with greed. Prestige comes to an event, not just because of the money, it comes because of the gauntlet, the course, the tour they play on.
“I look at this event as somewhat of a reward for supporting the PGA Tour in its foundation of philanthropy. That’s what the PGA Tour has always been about. This is meant to be a reward for being a player on the PGA Tour and being one of the best players on the DP World Tour.
“The players that are going to LIV have been courted away not with prestige but with greed. Prestige comes to an event, not just because of the money, it comes because of the gauntlet, the course, the tour they play on.
“I look at this event as somewhat of a reward for supporting the PGA Tour in its foundation of philanthropy. That’s what the PGA Tour has always been about. This is meant to be a reward for being a player on the PGA Tour and being one of the best players on the DP World Tour.
“So while it is at least, in my view, a mild disappointment – yours [addressing Paul McGinley] may be more than a mild disappointment – that they’re not here, I don’t think that it detracts from the prestige of this tournament in any substantive way.”
Golf Channel anchor, Rich Lerner then pointed out that The Players has historically been known as men’s golf’s fifth Major – a tag that can easily be argued no longer exists due to the absence of players like Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Joaquin Niemann.
Chamblee responded by saying that while the PGA Tour might not be filled to the brim with household names as the Players sets up for its 50th running, the situation is likely to look very differently in five to 10 years time as the US-based circuit continues to churn out stars on its established conveyor belt.
Chamblee agreed with Lerner’s statement, noting that LIV is just a fleeting moment in time. He believes it is only temporary.
“If we go back to 2010 and examine the earnings leaderboard, we will find that the majority of the players who were in the top 10 either no longer play professionally or have dropped to a much lower ranking of around 3,000th place in the global standings.”
Traveling back to 2015, one can observe a list of notable golfers such as Spieth, Day, Fowler, McIlroy, Zach Johnson, etc, who are still prominent in the sport today.
However, during that time, lesser-known players like Wyndham Clark, Sahith Theegala, Will Zalatoris, Ludvig Aberg, and Scottie Scheffler were not on the radar.
“The PGA Tour has a developmental system in place that helps in creating new golf stars, and this year, we have already seen the emergence of new talents. In the next five years, most of the current top players will likely be
replaced by a new generation of stars.” Liverpool’s recent player acquisitions are just a temporary situation as those players will not reach their peak performance for several more years.
In the meantime, the PGA Tour will continue to nurture future star players. The tee times for the first and second rounds of the 50th Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course have been announced.
A total of 144 golfers will be vying for a portion of the $25 million prize money at one of the most renowned venues globally.
