DeChambeau and Reed set to join Saudi tour

Bryson DeChambeau and fellow major winner Patrick Reed are the latest big names jumping from the PGA Tour to the rival LIV Golf International Series, multiple outlets reported on Wednesday. Both are expected to compete in the upstart circuit's first event in the US, kicking off on 30 June at Pumpkin Ridge in Portland. DeChambeau's agent, Brett Falkoff of GSE Worldwide, confirmed the reports to ESPN.

"Bryson has always been an innovator," Falkoff said. "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 and Reed would give the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour at least nine former major winners on its growing roster, along with Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Sergio Garcia, Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen and Ireland's Graeme McDowell.

DeChambeau has eight wins on the PGA Tour, including the 2020 U.S. Open. He has been sidelined since having surgery on his left hand in April.

Reed has nine PGA Tour victories, highlighted by his triumph at The Masters in 2018. LIV Golf's inaugural event begins Thursday at the Centurion Club near London. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has warned players who compete in LIV Golf events without releases from the PGA Tour that they could be subject to fines, suspensions or even bans.