LIV Golf’s inception, the reshaping of player alliances, and a landscape filled with clashing priorities have kept fans guessing about what really drives the sport’s newest rifts and reconciliations. Golfers who joined LIV, including Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, and others, have faced backlash from fans and PGA Tour pros. McIlroy even went on to call himself a “sacrificial lamb” when news about the LIV Golf and PGA Tour merger surfaced in 2023.

While LIV golfers were happy about it, Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Wesley Bryan, and many other PGA Tour pros were clearly angry. After 2.5 years since the news broke, DeChambeau says that professionals on both sides have made terms with it.

“I think there is a mutual respect of our craft… You know, it’s just a matter of putting that golf ball in the hole, you know? And I think there’s a mutual respect among all of us,” Bryson DeChambeau told Fox News Digital. “So that’s where I feel like, you know, we all have gone to a place where we’re like, ‘OK, you know what? Let’s just keep moving on. We’ll let the businessmen figure out the business details and we just keep playing golf.’”

While the rift between LIV golfers and PGA Tour pros started because of the merger announcement, it carried on between Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau for long after that. It all started after DeChambeau defeated Rory McIlroy to win the 2024 US Open, and then it peaked at the 2025 Masters.

“He wouldn’t talk to me,” DeChambeau said when asked about how his partner McIlroy was on the course. “He was just like — just being focused, I guess. It’s not me, though.” This escalated further during the months and weeks ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup.

“I’ll be chirping in his [Rory McIlroy’s] ear this time,” DeChambeau told People Magazine. “Now, if we go up against each other, I mean, you can be sure of it.” McIlroy responded to this by saying, “I think the only way he gets attention is by mentioning other people. That is basically what I think of that. To get attention, he will mention me or Scottie [Scheffler] or others.”

However, both of them have shown respect for each other’s golf skills. “I have the ultimate respect for Rory as a player,” Bryson DeChambeau said without hesitation at the 2025 Ryder Cup. McIlroy also acknowledged that he was okay with playing against the 2024 US Open winner at Bethpage Black. “If I come up against Bryson at some point, I think that’s great. I think that’s wonderful for the championship and wonderful for us, as well, in some ways,” McIlroy said.

Bryson DeChambeau’s comments to Fox News Digital reflect the same mutual respect. He said that talks about mergers and other such details should be left to businessmen. It’s always the businessmen making the decision, so merger or no merger, it doesn’t affect the relationship between golfers.

It was the businessmen back then who decided to have an agreement framework. Not just PGA Tour pros, but LIV golfers also didn’t have a clue. In fact, LIV’s then CEO Greg Norman also got the news just five minutes before it was publicly announced to the world. Therefore, there is no reason to create a feud between golfers on both sides over the merger.

When the news came out in 2023, Rory McIlroy felt like a sacrificial lamb.

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DeChambeau and McIlroy’s views on LIV Golf and PGA Tour merger

The PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and LIV Golf announced a framework agreement on June 6, 2023, to unify professional golf under a new for-profit entity called “NewCo.” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan described the move as making golf “better off united than in conflict or apart.” The negotiations were handled very secretively, and no one had a clue except the top-ranked officials in each organization. The deal aimed to merge commercial operations and rights while ending all litigation between the parties.

The merger could have allowed LIV golfers like Bryson DeChambeau and others to get back on the PGA Tour events. Therefore, LIV golfers, including Brooks Koepka, were happy about it. Taking a dig at Brandel Chamblee, Koepka wrote, “Welfare Check on Chamblee,” while Phil Mickelson said, “Awesome day today.”

However, Rory McIlroy and other PGA Tour members weren’t that excited. “I think ultimately, when I look at the bigger picture, 10 years down the line, this is going to be good for the game of professional golf. It’s hard not to feel like I was a sacrificial lamb,” McIlroy told the press before the 2023 RBC Canadian Open. “I’ve come to terms with it. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that this is what’s going to happen,” said Rory McIlroy. However, irrespective of competitive tension and differing views, they have always shared their respect for talent.