The fallout continues for veteran PGA stars who are leaving the tour in favor of controversial breakaway league LIV Golf.
On Thursday, it was announced that 2020 US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau had lost his partnership with Rocket Mortgage. The loan provider also sponsors an annual tour event, the Rocket Mortgage Classic, which DeChambeau won in 2020.
A spokesman confirmed the development.
"Rocket Mortgage has been a long-time supporter of the PGA Tour, both through our role as an official partner and as a tournament host," a statement said. "The Rocket Mortgage Classic has quickly become a fixture on the Tour, with players coming to Detroit to compete, while also raising crucial funds to help bridge the digital divide in our city. Our partnership with the PGA Tour extends to several prominent golfers, including Bryson DeChambeau, as ambassadors of the Rocket Mortgage brand. As has been widely reported, Bryson elected to join the LIV Golf Series.
"Effective immediately, Rocket Mortgage has ended its sponsorship agreement with Bryson. We wish him well in his future success."
The cancelled sponsorship is just the latest amid a series of such moves recently, and came on the same day that the PGA Tour announced suspensions for over a dozen golfers who it said had "decided to turn their backs" on the tour.
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Six-time major winner Phil Mickelson has lost several sponsors in recent months, amid his defection and controversial comments regarding LIV Golf's patrons in the Saudi government. One such sponsor, KPMG, actually dumped Mickelson in defense of its business partners in Saudi Arabia after Mickelson had called them "crazy motherf---ers."
Meanwhile, last week, two-time major winner Dustin Johnson saw his partnership with RBC cancelled by the banking giant, which also sponsors the Canadian Open, currently underway in Toronto.
Johnson, like Mickelson, is playing in LIV Golf's inaugural event outside London this week.
DeChambeau hadn't officially announced his move to LIV and wasn't partaking in this week's competition in London, but he was expected to play in the league's second event, in Portland, Oregon, beginning June 30, according to Tom VanHaaren of ESPN.com.
This year's installment of the Rocket Mortgage Classic was set to be held in late July at Detroit Golf Club.
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