Bryson DeChambeau Turns to Dallas Stars vs Edmonton Oilers Bash Amidst Threat of Losing 2024 LIV Team Championship

It is currently LIV Golf’s mid-season break! Unlike the PGA Tour, LIV Golf has only 14 events per edition. So, the LIV Golf pros are evidently using this time to take some time off. Bryson DeChambeau took this time to watch the NHL’s Western Conference Final playoffs of the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers.

As the Dallas resident and 1-time major winner was supporting the Stars to win, he also had a different motive for watching the game in the stadium. As well known, the Dallas Stars enjoy the fan following of avid supporters from Dallas which DeChambeau wished to capitalize on for his LIV Golf team and its title defense.

Bryson DeChambeau looks forward to the LIV Team Championship in Dallas

LIV Golf has announced the Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton as the venue for the LIV Golf Team Championship. The event is scheduled to start on September 20th and just the like buzz at LIV Golf Adelaide, Bryson DeChambeau, was hoping to see a grander fanbase in Dallas. Hinting at the same at the Stars vs Oilers game, the 1-time major winner gave a short interview to Sportsnet’s reporter. Kyle Bukauskas.

On a mission to understand the Dallas Stars and the fanbase, at the American Airlines Center, DeChambeau was awestruck by the large and passionate groups of supporters. He applauded by saying that Dallas fans were great and he wanted something similar for his team, Crushers GC.

Illustrating excitement for the NHL playoff and the upcoming LIV Team Championship, the 30-year-old said, “With LIV Golf, we are bringing the team championship here in Dallas, Maridoe. So, I wanted to see what the team aspect is all about and trying to grow that fanbase here in Dallas.” There are still more than 60 days before the team championship, but DeChambeau’s early reparation may help in gaining more fans in Dallas.

The team aspect that’s rarely a part of golf has become a booming and innovative format for the breakaway circuit. But as much as it has attracted newer fans to LIV, it has also become a curse for its players in the world rankings system.

OWGR board member shares the difficulty in granting points to LIV 

As known already, Greg Norman and his league have publicly withdrawn the appeal for OWGR points and will not move forward with it. Like many on the breakaway league, Bryson DeChambeau found the denial of world rankings points unfair when, as per him, LIV Golf has “fulfilled every single criteria.”

However, Seth Waugh, the CEO of PGA of America and a board member of the OWGR explains that there were two issues with granting points to LIV. No, it is not the 54-hole, no-cut, event, Waugh said that the OWGR “can solve.” But the team aspect and the relegation and promotion have become a hindrance.

Waugh explained that it was “the inherent conflict of team versus individual play “ that pushed the OWGR to not approve the appeal. They found a situation where players might purposely miss or make an extra putt for the sake of their team. The world ranking system asked LIV to change, but their refusal to do so led to OWGR’s disapproval.

Hence, while the team aspect of LIV Golf might be innovative and might make the sport a lot more interesting, it has also proven to be a bone in the throat of LIV pros.