More high-profile players are headed to the LIV Golf circuit, according to a report Wednesday in the Telegraph.
Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed are poised to join the Saudi-backed breakaway circuit “imminently. The announcement is expected to come during the tour’s first event this week in London.
The first event begins Thursday at Centurion Club with a 48-player field that includes Dustin Johnson, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson, who committed to the event on Monday.
Like many of the top players, DeChambeau pledged his allegiance to playing with the “best players in the world” on the PGA Tour in February but that fealty appears to have changed in recent weeks.
“Bryson has always been an innovator. Having the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of something unique has always been intriguing to him. Professional golf as we know it is changing and it’s happening quickly,” DeChambeau’s manager Brett Falkoff said in a statement.
Reed did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the report. A spokesperson for LIV Golf declined to comment. Both players are in the field for next week’s U.S. Open.
This week’s LIV Golf event in London is the first of eight scheduled for 2022. The next tournament will be played in Portland, Ore., June 30-July 2.