Brandel Chamblee is no stranger to taking shots at LIV Golf, having criticised the tour on more than one occasion since it first started.
There aren’t many voices in golf louder than Chamblee’s, and he’s never been shy about sharing his feelings on LIV Golf.
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So when he actually backed the OWGR’s call to give LIV world ranking points, it raised a few eyebrows across the sport.
A few days after showing rare support for something involving LIV, Chamblee returned to a more familiar stance. He argued that The Players Championship should be considered a major, pointing to its strong field as justification.
It’s quite an opinion given that players like Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau haven’t taken part in years. If you take their absence into account, it isn’t as strong of an argument as it might have been otherwise.
Brandel Chamblee claims youngsters joined LIV because they weren’t confident enough
Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
LIV undoubtedly have some of the most talented golfers in the world among their ranks, including the likes of David Puig, his fellow Spaniard Jose Luis Ballester, Michael La Sasso and Tom McKibbin.
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Still, there’s a question about whether they truly match up to the hype that surrounds them. The always-outspoken Chamblee was recently a guest on The Sky Sports Golf Podcast.
It didn’t take long for the conversation to shift towards LIV Golf. Chamblee was asked why he believes certain young players decided to join LIV Golf in the first place.
Chamblee questions the reasons behind LIV’s appeal to young golfers
LIV has managed to attract some very good young players like Puig, Ballester, La Sasso and McKibbin. However, Chamblee is correct in questioning why those guys would opt for a league that doesn’t have the same history or reputation as the PGA Tour.
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It’s hard not to see financial motivation playing a role in that decision. There’s also the possibility that they didn’t back themselves enough to break through at the top level without that early security.
The challenge now for those names mentioned above will be to prove Chamblee, and the golfing world in general, wrong.
With world ranking points now available to LIV players who finish inside the top 10, it should give them a fair shot at qualifying for majors more regularly.
In terms of raw ability, Puig and Ballester look well-equipped to make an impact in professional golf. The question is whether LIV’s structure will allow them to fully develop or end up limiting their progress.
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Chamblee has made it clear he thinks these players lacked confidence in their own potential. We’ll have to wait and see if his assessment holds up over time.
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