McIlroy "LIV Golf's Open Win Not Allowed"... Bridgestone "Ending Sponsorship of DeChambeau"

Rory McIlroy is answering questions from the press at the official press conference of the 150th Open. St Andrews (Scotland) = Getty Images / Multibits Photo by Getty Images

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), ranked No. 2 in the world, challenged LIV Golf players at the 150th Open Championship.

At a press conference held on the 13th (Korean time) at the Old Course in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, when asked, "Do you hope the winner of this tournament is not a player from the LIV Golf series?" he answered, "Honestly, yes." The dominance of the world men's golf scene, which was previously divided between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour), is rapidly changing with the emergence of LIV Golf backed by Saudi Arabian capital.

LIV Golf is enticing top-ranked players from the PGA Tour with huge sums of money. In this situation, if a LIV Golf player takes home the Claret Jug, the trophy for the Open Championship, it would be a very symbolic moment. Key LIV Golf players participating in the Open include 'oldest major champion' Phil Mickelson, 'former No. 1' Dustin Johnson, 'major hunter' Brooks Koepka, and 'Hulk' Bryson DeChambeau (all from the United States).

Meanwhile, Bridgestone, a golf ball manufacturer, has decided to end its sponsorship of DeChambeau. Bridgestone announced, "The PGA Tour is a very important organization in professional golf," and "Bridgestone and DeChambeau have mutually agreed to end their partnership." DeChambeau's contract with another sponsor, Rocket Mortgage, has also been terminated. It is reported that DeChambeau received $125 million (1.632 trillion KRW) to move to LIV Golf.

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