Bryson DeChambeau has claimed Tiger Woods has frozen him out amid the ongoing tension between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.
The 2020 US Open champion defected from the traditional circuit to the Saudi-backed series in June last year while Woods has been one of the most prominent critics of the breakaway league.
Woods has provided inspiration for DeChambeau with the latter previously referring to him as a ‘mentor, idol and role model’.
But in the build-up to the first major of the year DeChambeau has revealed old friend Woods has cut him off.
He was asked if anyone had severed ties to which he told Golfweek’s Adam Schupak: ‘Yeah, definitely. I’m sure you can guess who.’
Bryson DeChambeau (left) has claimed old friend Tiger Woods (right) has frozen him out
American stars DeChambeau and Woods hug during the PGA Championship in May last year
DeChambeau confirmed it was, in fact, Woods before revealing the 15-time major champion ignored his birthday message.
‘He’s been a great friend,’ he continued.
‘I texted him on his birthday. It is what it is. He has his viewpoints on it and thinks we’re potentially hurting his record. If anything, nobody is ever going to touch his record.
‘That’s just it, that’s the bottom line. There’s a chance to grow the game even more, and I hope one day he’ll see the vision that we all have out here.’
Greg Norman’s LIV Series has well and truly shaken up the world of golf and the rivalry between the two Tours is expected to dominate the headlines at the Masters, which starts on Thursday.
Bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), LIV Golf has relied on nine-figure sums to snatch some of the game’s brightest stars away from the PGA Tour.
The circuits have been at loggerheads since the former arrived onto the scene amid much fanfare and controversy last year.
Since its inception, the breakaway league has been accused of being a ‘sportswashing’ vehicle for Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.
DeChambeau and Woods are set to be fighting it out on the course once again next week
DeChambeau and Woods are set to be fighting it out on the course once again next week at the Masters.
Woods is expected to feature at the showpiece tournament after being included in the pre-tournament press conference schedule.
He has made it clear that his competitive career will now be limited to a handful of events a year, a legacy of the car crash in February 2021 which left him fearing his right leg would have to be amputated.