LIV Golf Series: DeChambeau wants people to see ‘good’ Saudis are doing

Bryson DeChambeau, one of the latest golfers to join the LIV Golf Series, wants people look to beyond Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses and see the “good” the league can do.

Golfers such as DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson who have chosen to join the breakaway league have received criticism because of the human rights abuses carried out by the Saudi regime. In the US, the famed sportscaster Bob Costas offered a withering assessment of the LIV Series. “This is Saudi blood money,” he said last week. “We know all we need to know about the royal family and what they have done. It’s not just [Jamal] Khashoggi, it’s not just the ongoing oppression of women and gays, they’re directly or indirectly tied – according to US and British intelligence – to the 9/11 event.”

But at a press conference on Tuesday to promote the upcoming LIV Series event in Oregon, DeChambeau said he wanted the world to move on from issues such as Khashoggi’s killing.

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“Golf is a force for good,” DeChambeau said when he was asked about criticism for taking Saudi money. “As time goes on, hopefully people will see the good they’re doing. And what they’re trying to accomplish, rather than looking back at the bad that’s happened before. And moving on from that is important. And continuing to move forward in a positive light is something that could be a force for good for the future of the game.”

The Oregon tournament has also attracted local criticism. The Saudi regime allegedly helped one of its citizens avoid trial for the fatal hit-and-run death of a teenager in Oregon in 2016. On Sunday, Oregon senator Ron Wyden said it was “wrong to be silent when Saudi Arabia