Anthony Kim has launched a scathing response to Brandel Chamblee's pivot in terms of his views on the wisdom of a potential deal between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf finally being ratified.
Kim has not played on the American circuit since picking up an Achilles tendon injury back in 2012 but made a stunning return to golf this year. After a decade away from the action, the 38-year-old made his comeback in the 2024 LIV Golf League - taking part in the Jeddah event.
He signed a wild-card agreement to compete from the third event of the campaign onwards during regular season tournaments across the term. As an individual player, Kim's goal is now to earn a slot in a team on the LIV circuit for the 2025 season through his performances.
Away from matters on the course, it appears that the American was also left irked by analyst Chamblee after his stunning U-turn on his views on the LIV circuit. Previously, the Golf Channel figure commented has been vocal about his opposition to the PIF-Backed tour.
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In a scathing attack, Chamblee once contended: "LIV Golf is not so much a sports entity as it is MBS/Saudi Arabia trying to hide their atrocities and launder its reputation by buying sports stars. Any yielding to or agreement with them is a deal with a murderous dictator."
However, he appeared to have changed his stance in the wake of Rory McIlroy's unsuccessful attempt to re-join the PGA Tour policy board in hope of assisting with negotiations over a merger between the circuit and LIV. Plans for golf's civil war to be brought to a ceasefire had first been announced last June but negotiations over a 'framework agreement' have stalled since then.
Now, Chamblee has performed something of a U-turn: "The PGA Tour is in this pickle like it or not, but, do you want to compete with someone who’s not gonna go away (LIV), who can outspend you (PIF)?" he said.
"Every move they make that makes their Tour better deletes your Tour and causes more division within the Tour. So the time is now, to Rory’s point about making a deal, I wouldn’t have said that a year ago… but it is the better end of the bargain.”
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However, it appears that these comments annoyed Kim, who responded on X: "Ramble Chamblee @chambleebrandel ur such a [....] 4 beating on ur chest and basically saying never retreat & hypocritically retreat. It is well known this talentless fool is disliked by most people in the golf world. U still gonna cover golf if @livgolf_league is involved?”
Before his failed attempt to sit on the PGA Tour's policy board once more, McIlroy had admitted that a merger finally being settled would be the best solution for the sport moving forward. He said: "I think there’s a responsibility with every generation to try to leave the Tour, leave the place that you’re playing in a bit of a better spot than it was before. That’s what it’s about.
"I would say I’m impatient because I think we’ve got this window of opportunity to get (a deal) done, because both sides from a business perspective I wouldn’t say need to get it done, but it makes sense/ I sort of liken it to like when Northern Ireland went through the peace process in the ’90s and the Good Friday Agreement, neither side was happy."
He added: "Catholics weren’t happy, Protestants weren’t happy, but it brought peace and then you just sort of learn to live with whatever has been negotiated, right?”