Rocket Mortgage cut business ties with Bryson DeChambeau after he decided to switch allegiances from the PGA Tour to the LIV Golf Invitational Series.
DeChambeau had not officially announced his decision, but his ex-sponsor’s statement Thursday confirmed what multiple reports had said earlier in the week.
“Rocket Mortgage has been a long-time supporter of the PGA Tour, both through our role as an official partner and as a tournament host,” Rocket Mortgage spokesperson Aaron Emerson said in a statement. “The Rocket Mortgage Classic has quickly become a fixture on the Tour, with players coming to Detroit to compete, while also raising crucial funds to help bridge the digital divide in our city. Our partnership with the PGA Tour extends to several prominent golfers, including Bryson DeChambeau, as ambassadors of the Rocket Mortgage brand. As has been widely reported, Bryson elected to join the LIV Golf Series.
“Effective immediately, Rocket Mortgage has ended its sponsorship agreement with Bryson. We wish him well in his future success.”
DeChambeau is expected to join LIV for its first U.S. event in Portland, Oregon, later this month. The controversial series teed off for the first time Thursday in London.
The 28-year-old star won the 2020 U.S. Open and rose as high as No. 4 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He became a Rocket Mortgage partner shortly after winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic earlier that same year.
DeChambeau has not played since the Masters. He underwent surgery to repair a broken bone in his left wrist in April after missing two months of the PGA Tour season nursing both the wrist and a labrum tear in his hip.
Dustin Johnson and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell lost the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) as a sponsor after they opted to play the LIV Golf London Invitational over the RBC Canadian Open this week. Multiple sponsors cut ties with Phil Mickelson earlier this year after his divisive comments about Saudi Arabia and LIV surfaced.
–Field Level Media