COVINGTON, Ga. — Covington-based Bridgestone Golf has ended a sponsorship and development deal with one of its brightest PGA Tour stars over a decision to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series tour, ESPN and Golf.com reported.
The company severed ties with Bryson DeChambeau for signing with LIV, a professional golf tour financed by the government of Saudi Arabia, ESPN and Golf.com reported.
The golf equipment manufacturer said in a statement that, “The PGA Tour is an extremely important part of professional golf, and Bridgestone has a sports marketing relationship with this highly visible series of tournaments.”
“In considering that Bryson DeChambeau will no longer be participating in these events, Bridgestone and Bryson have agreed to end their brand ambassador partnership.”
DeChambeau has been one of the faces of Bridgestone Golf since he turned pro in 2016 after becoming the fifth player in history to win both the NCAA Division I championship and the U.S. Amateur in the same year, ESPN reported.
He is an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour, including the 2020 U.S. Open.
Bridgestone Golf will continue to have a well-known lineup of golf stars using and endorsing it products, including Tiger Woods, Fred Couples, Jason Day, Lexi Thompson and Matt Kuchar, ESPN reported.
DeChambeau signed a long-term contract extension with Bridgestone Golf in 2020 that included a deal to help develop Bridgestone’s Tour B golf balls, along with golfing legend Woods.
“I’ve seen a lot of other guys sign up just to be spokesmen for a brand and collect a check,” DeChambeau said in 2020. “I have a much deeper role in mind with Bridgestone. I want to be a bigger part of their R&D process and help develop golf ball technology for the future of the game while pushing the limits of golf ball designs to benefit the full spectrum of players.”
DeChambeau used Bridgestone’s Tour B X golf balls made in Covington to capture victory at such PGA Tour tournaments as the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club outside Columbus, Ohio, in 2018.
. LIV refers to the Roman numeral for 54, the score if every hole on a par-72 course were birdied and the number of holes to be played at LIV events. Its first event was in June at the Centurion Club near London, England.
PGA Tour officials have ruled that anyone playing the LIV Tour would be ineligible to play in PGA tournaments.
LIV, which is led by PGA golf legend Greg Norman, also has been roundly criticized by human rights advocates for its direct connection to the Saudi Arabia government.
American intelligence officials have reported the Saudi leader, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, allegedly ordered the murder of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi in 2019 in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.