Brandel Chamblee sparks controversy ahead of PGA Championship week with explosive LIV golf comparison

Golf analyst Brandel Chamblee, never one to pull punches, lit a match on social media just days before the PGA Championship – then doused it in gasoline. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Chamblee didn’t just criticize players who joined LIV Golf, he accused them of being complicit in oppression, likening their decision to accept Saudi money to the behavior of those who “acquiesced to the inconveniences that the Nazis imposed upon the Jews.”

Chamblee’s post didn’t name any golfers, but the implication was crystal clear: those who left the PGA Tour for LIV – players like Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, and Patrick Reed – are, in his view, morally compromised. “To take the money of a country that seeks to oppress their own people and to kill those who speak out against their oppression, is complicit in that oppression,” Chamblee wrote.

Followers come out swinging to Chamblee comment

That was enough to send the replies into overdrive.

One follower replied, “Brandel. I like you, but come on with bringing up the Holocaust. Patrick Reed isn’t Hitler.” Another added, “You’re equating the Holocaust with Reed taking money from Saudis/LIV. Good god, man.”

Plenty echoed the sentiment. Even some who sympathized with Chamblee’s discomfort over Saudi Arabia’s human rights record felt the comparison was off the mark – or at least deeply inappropriate. “Lazy, low brow take,” one user posted. “Not to mention you’ve jumped the shark.”

Some pointed out the everyday contradictions in moral outrage. “How many companies are there that sponsor PGA events that do business with the Saudis?” one commenter asked. “Not to mention you played golf with Trump, who ignored the Khashoggi killing... Can’t have it both ways, my man.”

Others defended LIV players as pragmatic rather than political. “Money is the answer to every question,” one user wrote. “They decided that money was the most important thing in their lives. Not a game, nor legacy, and for sure not any political or moral repercussions.”

Some tried a more diplomatic stance. “Playing for a Saudi league isn’t the best look,” one person posted, “but can’t hate on a person for getting paid.”

If you’re not familiar with Chamblee, here he is reflecting on Rory’s recent Masters win.

What made Chamblee’s comment particularly explosive was its timing. The PGA Championship begins this week at Valhalla, with tensions still simmering over the uneasy truce between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. The controversial Saudi-backed league is no longer just a rebel tour – it’s part of the broader conversation shaping the future of professional golf. But Chamblee has remained one of its most outspoken critics, often clashing with players and LIV executives alike.

This time, though, his Holocaust analogy may have gone too far – even for those who share his criticisms of LIV. It’s one thing to challenge the ethics of taking Saudi money in a sport built on tradition... it’s another to invoke one of history’s darkest chapters.

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