Jon Rahm Stranded by Brooks Koepka & Bryson DeChambeau as His Frantic Plea for LIV Golf Change Stays Unresolved

“If there ever was a way where LIV could go to 72 holes, I think it would help all of this argument a lot,”  said an expectant Jon Rahm recently after the Masters when asked about the unification of the sport. The Spaniard has never once changed his stance, even before and after joining LIV Golf, when he said, “I still maintain that my stance that I would like to see four days,” before his debut in Mayakoba. However, not everyone agrees with the golfer. Enter Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.

The two were spotted in their respective press conferences ahead of the upcoming event on the Saudi-backed League in Singapore. During the same, they were queried on the 54-hole versus 72-hole debate, to which the two golfers made sure to express their views, basically turning a blind eye to the Spanish pro’s plea!

Brooks Koepka plants his focus on the game of golf

Apart from commenting on the merger and how the whole ordeal is between the PIF and PGA Tour, Keopka made sure to respond that the focus should be on playing the game, irrespective of the kind of competition. The 5-time major champ said, “Our job is to go play golf, and that’s it. That’s what we’re here to do,” while insinuating how he is okay with either of the two formats, as well as the direction the framework agreement is going.

Soon after, Graeme McDowell also conveyed his stance on the matter while adding to his captain Brooks Koepka’s perspective: “I think we all believe that the product we’re playing in right now is strong, and we don’t think it’s going to go away anytime soon,” said the 44-year-old. Moreover, he also recounted the first-ever team playoff in the previous event in Adelaide, in which Cameron Smith-led Ripper GC emerged victorious over Louis Oosthuizen-led Stinger GC. “There’s so many good things we’re doing out here,” said the LIV Golf professional. “I really feel like the trajectory is moving us in the right direction.”

One can’t help but agree with Koepka and McDowell, seeing as how the previous event, in particular, saw a record-breaking attendance turnout at the Grange Golf Club in Adelaide. More than 94,000 fans, with 40% of the ticket buyers coming from more than 30 different countries, traveled to the course to watch their favorite golfers in action. After watching the immense turnout, the two golfers’ stances on the game that they are playing seem to make perfect sense.

On the other hand, many in the sport have speculated on how the Saudi-backed league’s 56-hole format is the reason for their Masters disappointment. That’s not all. It appears to be more of a talking point with the PGA Championship coming up, causing many to agree with Rahm. Even so, Bryson DeChambeau, who had cemented his place at the top rungs of the scorecard at Augusta early on in the event itself, has a different stance from the Spaniard.

Bryson DeChambeau follows Koepka’s suit

“Whatever the competition is, the competition is,” declared the scientist as he pointed out how one “still got to go out and hit the best shots you(sic) possibly can every single time,” irrespective of the number of rounds being played; “If you’re the one that’s going to hit the best shots out there and make the most putts, you’re going to be the one to win. It doesn’t matter if it’s necessarily 54 or 72 or six days, or one day. I’m great with whatever.” Such an attitude has surely helped him rake in two wins in the 2023 edition of the breakaway league, in Chicago and Greenbrier.

Despite having such a stance, he didn’t take a jab at Rahm or anyone else who shared the same opinion as the Spaniard. But instead, he mentioned how “everybody has an opinion on that.” Adding on, the LIV Golf Pro also recounted the time when he almost won the Charles Schwab Challenge, finishing at T3 with a score of 14-under, before pointing out how playing golf regularly doesn’t necessarily guarantee a win: “I came back with — after COVID, I didn’t play golf for a month and a half, two months, and I went out and almost won The Colonial, without any tournament golf.”

DeChambeau has always stood by such a stance, even when OWGR refused to represent the breakaway league in its rankings. “It’s honestly sad that they’ve done that, and people are going to say that it’s sad that we came over here,” expressed the golfer back when the decision came out before alluding to the chance they received, “but this is an amazing opportunity for every one of us.”

Well, seeing as how the golfers apart from Rahm have been dishing out similar opinions back to back, one can’t help but believe McDowell when he said, “We’re very, very happy with what we’re doing and with the product that we’re playing in!”