Bryson DeChambeau, More Golfers React to LIV, PGA Tour and DP World Tour Merger

The golf world was flipped on its head, once again, on Tuesday morning.

In a shocking revelation, the PGA Tour announced a merger with the DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund — the Saudi-backed company that started the LIV Golf Tour.

"The PGA TOUR, DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) today announced a landmark agreement to unify the game of golf, on a global basis," a statement from the PGA Tour read. "The parties have signed an agreement that combines PIF’s golf-related commercial businesses and rights (including LIV Golf) with the commercial businesses and rights of the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour into a new, collectively owned, for-profit entity to ensure that all stakeholders benefit from a model that delivers maximum excitement and competition among the game’s best players."

Players from the PGA Tour have been reacting to the news throughout the day. Most players have used the word "shock" to describe hearing the news and voiced they were not informed prior to the merger going public.

LIV golfer Brendan Steele joined Action Network's Jason Sobel on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio to discuss the merger. Steele started the conversation off in predictable fashion, “Can you guys explain to me what’s happening? I’m not really sure.”

It’s become clear that most players, whether on LIV or the PGA Tour, have not been well informed on the merger and don’t yet know how it’s going to impact them.

“I don’t know what it means for me going forward,” Steele said. “I don’t know what it means for anybody yet. I assume that there is a plan and they’re going to put it in place and let us know.”

Steele knows that PGA Tour players are not going to be happy about their loyalty not being rewarded. How much is the new tour going to cater to the stars? And how much of it will cater to the other hundreds of professional golfers that are trying to play golf for a living.

From the LIV perspective, Steele was starting to enjoy the “laid-back” nature of the LIV Tour and has no desire to go back to the grueling PGA Tour schedule.

“I was very happy on the PGA Tour, I had a great experience there,” Steele said. “When I moved over to LIV, it was a new chapter and I wasn’t sure what it was going to look like. And having played seven events, I love it and that’s what I want to do. I’m more on that side of it. I don’t wanna come back and play a full PGA Tour schedule or anything. I left to not do that.”

Bryson DeChambeau's reaction to the move on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio “Hitting the Green” was more positive.

"I couldn’t be more proud of both parties for putting their weapons down and coming together for the game of golf," DeChambeau said. "This is a monumental day for the game of golf, and I can’t wait to see what comes about from this."

DeChambeau had hoped this merger would eventually come about down the road, but was still shocked when he saw the news. He says he's looking forward to competing against all the best players in the world and credits how well LIV players performed at The Masters and PGA Championship for accelerating the timeline.

"I can tell you that Brooks [Koepka] winning and [LIV golfers] performing well and continuing to perform well definitely made ears pop up and eyes turn into a different direction," DeChambeau told Sobel and Michael Collins.

Of course, there's the potential for backlash for players who left the Tour, but DeChambeau is optimistic that the response will be positive.

"You always want people supporting you compared to pushing you down," DeChambeau said. "And I think coming back there will be a little bit more of a positive sentiment. I’m sure there’s going to be people that don’t agree with it but know that we are going to give the fans a better experience throughout the course of this year, next year and going forward because of this merger."

PGA Tour & LIV Golf Social Media Reaction

Many players on the LIV and PGA Tour responded to today's news via Twitter.

Here are some of their reactions to the breaking news of the merger:

Yesterday's sectional qualifying for the US Open, when golfers competed for the final spots in next week's major championship by playing 36 holes at each sectional qualifying location, is known as "The Longest Day in Golf."

Fellow California Golden Bear Michael Kim also was surprised by the breaking news.

Like Morikawa and Kim, Wesley Bryan was also disappointed to hear the news online.

Bryan also dove into his frustrations with Monahan leading the "player-run Tour."

Now that team golf is coming to the PGA Tour, Max Homa is brainstorming new team names.

Graeme McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open winner and a golfer on the LIV Golf team Cleeks GC, shares Homa's curiosity.

Brandel Chamblee, one of the highest-profile talking heads in golf who frequently serves as the lead analyst for Golf Channel's Golf Central, has been very outspoken favoring the PGA Tour. Chamblee has since spoken on Golf Channel, saying that, "The world of golf was betrayed. This is one of the saddest days in the history of professional golf.”

Earlier today, five-time major winner Brooks Koepka noted that Chamblee is in a tough spot with the merger news.

Justin Thomas, last year's PGA Championship winner, noted the frenzy that the golf world is experiencing as his phone was blowing up throughout the day.

Mark Hubbard also was barraged with text messages today.

Michael Kim may not have gotten a check from LIV Golf, but he had a potentially lucrative idea ahead of the player meeting with Monahan.

While many PGA Tour players are upset today, Phil Mickelson is taking a victory lap as he is one of the big winners. He spoke about the lack of trust for PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan as part of his highly scrutinized decision to leave for LIV Golf, and many PGA Tour players seem to have a similar distrust for Monahan now, per reports following the players-only meeting in Toronto this afternoon.

Other LIV golfers initially seem pleased with the merger news, as Sergio Garcia also shared the excitement.

And so did LIV golfer Taylor Gooch.

Like Mickelson, Dylan Wu also has his own questions about how Monahan has handled the situation.

Wu also follows up on Mickelson's comments.

Byeong Hun An chimed in with his thoughts on what may have led to the merger on both sides.

And what could have been for Hideki Matsuyama.

Kim also shared some of his takeaways from a crazy day in golf.

Finally, Max Homa also shared some #perspective at the end of the day.