Bryson DeChambeau says there's 'not as much tension' between PGA Tour, LIV players following merger

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Bryson DeChambeau can feel the mood lightening in the locker room and on the course just one week after the PGA Tour and LIV Golf ceased hostilities.

DeChambeau shot a 67 in his opening round at the U.S. Open on Thursday, leaving the long-hitting 2020 champion five shots behind record-setters Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele, who each shot 62.

This Open at Los Angeles Country Club is the first major since the stunning announcement of the partnership between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. The Saudi Arabia-backed competition attracted dozens of top players — DeChambeau among the most prominent — to its highly controversial endeavor with lavish payouts over the last two years, but last week's seismic move put golf in flux once again.

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Bryson DeChambeau watches his tee shot on the third hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Los Angeles Country Club on Thursday, June 15, 2023, in Los Angeles.  (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Nobody knows exactly what the sport will look like in the near future, with LIV apparently planning to continue its own competitions in some form. But DeChambeau senses that the us-against-them mentality that arose on both sides from the LIV defections is not so prevalent anymore.

"I think it’s a little more lighthearted from everyone," DeChambeau said after his round. "It’s been good seeing all the players just more like neutral, so it is a little bit more comfortable than before. Not as much tension, I guess you could say, which is a good thing for the game of golf. We want the fans to see us all play together all the time."

The 29-year-old