Rory McIlroy has challenged his Ryder Cup teammates Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, and it has not gone unnoticed.
And Chamblee has now responded to what the Northern Irishman had to say about the two LIV Golf players.
McIlroy basically told them that if they are serious about wanting to play in the 2027 Ryder Cup, they need to pay off their DP World Tour fines.
“We went really hard on the Americans about being paid to play the Ryder Cup, and we also said that we would pay to play in Ryder Cups. There’s two guys that can prove it,” the world number two stated.
But this is where things get a bit tricky.
LIV Golf stopped covering those fines last year, and since then, Rahm has made it clear he does not plan on paying them himself (via BBC).
Rahm said: “I’m not a big fan of the fines.
“I don’t intend to pay the fines and we keep trying to have a discussion with them (the DP World Tour) about how we can make this happen.”
Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton concerns ahead of the 2027 Ryder Cup
To play in the Ryder Cup for Team Europe, golfers must hold membership with the DP World Tour.
Both Rahm and Hatton are appealing fines handed down by the DP World Tour after their decision to join LIV Golf.
Without an agreement, there is a genuine chance neither player will be available for selection at Adare Manor.
As McIlroy pointed out, every member of the current squad has said they would pay to be involved in the Ryder Cup. Now it is up to Rahm and Hatton to follow through.
Chamblee had criticised US players before Bethpage Black after it was confirmed that each one would receive payment for participating. It is widely believed that this demand for payment played a role in their loss to Europe.
As McIlroy said, if Rahm and Hatton decide to pay up, Europe will have another opportunity to set themselves apart from their American rivals in 2027.
Brandel Chamblee responds to Rory McIlroy’s remarks about Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton
Chamblee responded to McIlroy’s comments about his European Ryder Cup teammates on his official X account.
But he used McIlroy’s comments as further criticism of the US team.
“The demands to be paid by some of the US players to play for their country, has corrupted the whole team now for going on 25 years,” Chamblee wrote.
“Meanwhile Europe laughs at the US team and continues to dominate the Ryder Cup, while playing, not for profit, but for pride.”
The decision by some American players to ask for payment created a sense of division within their squad that Europe never seemed to have. That alone gave them an early advantage before a ball was even struck.
If Rahm and Hatton do end up paying out of pocket just to play, it will only reinforce that divide. But regardless of how this plays out, what really matters is getting both teams back on level ground so that everything can be settled on the course.