Why a transformed Bryson DeChambeau removed himself from LIV antitrust lawsuit

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Some will likely have a different view of Bryson DeChambeau this week and the new outlook is only partly due to a transformed diet and fitness program that has the 29-year-old looking nothing like the burly version who won the 2020 U.S. Open.

“It’s been a great process for me. A couple of years ago, I was so inflamed with the body and was not eating correctly relative to my sensitivities,” he said Monday at the PGA Championship. “I feel good and my energy level is really high. My recovery is a lot easier and I sleep better at night.”

DeChambeau had surgery in December to correct a deviated septum and combined with a new diet he’s able to practice and play with more focus and energy.

For some, however, the bigger change is something you can’t see.

Full-field tee times from the PGA Championship

Last week, DeChambeau and Matt Jones removed their names from the antitrust lawsuit that was filed against the PGA Tour in August 2022. They were the last two players still involved in the litigation.

Originally, 11 players filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in northern California after being suspended by the Tour for joining LIV Golf and violating the circuit’s conflicting event release policies. That number dropped to three players including Peter Uihlein, who withdrew his name from the lawsuit earlier this month.

“I’m in it for the growth of the global game and [the lawsuit] is going to happen whether we like it or not,” DeChambeau said of his decision to withdraw from the litigation. “For me, representing a team, I wanted to be focused on how we can best present ourselves moving forward. On and off the golf course is where I’m focused on helping people whether it’s growing the game globally or if it’s behind the scenes. I need to be able to work for the good of the communities we’re in and the game. That’s where I’m focused, not in a courtroom.”

LIV Golf joined the lawsuit as a plaintiff last year and the Tour has filed a countersuit that now includes the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), which owns 93 percent of the breakaway league according to court documents, and its governor.

Along with DeChambeau, Jones and Uihlein, the original lawsuit included Phil Mickelson, Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford, Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Ian Poulter, Pat Perez and Jason Kokrak.