Major champions DeChambeau, Reed jump ship to LIV Golf: reports

Major champions Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed plan to sign up with the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Invitational series in time for the rival circuit to start playing in U.S. cities, a British newspaper reported Wednesday.

The Daily Telegraph says Greg Norman and his staff that runs LIV Golf Investments plan to announce the latest two defections from the PGA Tour on Friday.

The inaugural LIV Golf Invitational at Centurion Golf Club, which features Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia, is set to begin Thursday.

Johnson was the biggest name to announce his support for the PGA Tour in February, and DeChambeau followed suit.

"While there has been a lot of speculation surrounding my support for another tour, I want to make it very clear that as long as the best players in the world are playing the PGA Tour, so will I," DeChambeau said in a February statement.

Asked about his interest last week at the Memorial, DeChambeau said, "I personally don't think that at this point in time I'm in a place in my career where I can risk things like that."

"I'm loyal to my family that I've created around me with sponsors and everything. And as of right now, the golf world is probably going to change in some capacity. I don't know what that is. Not my job to do so. I'm just going to keep playing professional golf and enjoy it wherever it takes me, play with the best players in the world."

His agent said Wednesday in a statement that "Bryson has always been an innovator."

"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," said Brett Falkoff of GSE Worldwide.

DeChambeau won the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in