It’s common knowledge that Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau have never seen eye to eye.
Whilst Koepka and DeChambeau have moved on now from their bitter feud, it’s clear to see that they’re not best friends.
In fact, Koepka re-opened old wounds with his comments about DeChambeau ahead of the LIV Team Championship semi-finals, labelling the two-time US Open champion as a ‘strange cat’.
Koepka made those remarks because DeChambeau chose not to play him in the singles of the semi-final clash between Crushers and Smash.
And after The Crushers beat Team Smash 2-1 to advance to the final, the 2024 US Open champion admitted that he opted against playing the five-time major winner because he thought that Talor Gooch would be a more difficult match-up.
DeChambeau said: “Talor’s playing some good golf, really good golf, and I felt like Baan would be great for Brooks today. Look, I could have gone up against him. Brooks is a great fighter, and I would have loved to have played against him, but I felt like from a matchup perspective Talor was going to be a more difficult force today. He shot 6-under today. I shot 7 and barely scraped by on the last to clip him.“
“He’s a grinder and a fighter, and I know he’s a battler. Hat’s off to Gooch for his play. It’s tough to play against him. He’s a great wedger, a great putter. I was scared all day for sure.“
It seems like their once hostile relationship has not healed entirely.
The two American golfers may have let bygones be bygones, but they certainly don’t share a close bond.
So let’s have a look back at what happened when the pair were due to play on the same Ryder Cup team four years ago.
What Brooks Koepka said about Bryson DeChambeau ahead of the 2021 Ryder Cup
The feud between the two players began when Koepka complained about slow play back in 2019.
He didn’t mention DeChambeau by name but it was the 2020 and 2024 US Open champion who was drawing criticism at the time regarding his pace of play.
It was claimed that DeChambeau approached Koepka’s caddie on the putting green following the five-time major champion’s comments and told him to tell his boss to speak to him if he had a problem with slow play.
DeChambeau then criticized Koepka’s physique after the 35-year-old appeared in ESPN The Magazine’s The Body Issue.
Koepka responded by sending DeChambeau a picture on social media of the four major championship trophies he had won at the time along with the caption, ‘two short of a six pack’.
In 2021 during the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, Koepka reacted hilariously when DeChambeau walked behind him during an interview.
The 35-year-old rolled his eyes and paused the interview. The two players obviously got under each other’s skin.
Then, back at The Open Championship in 2021, Koepka and DeChambeau were already confirmed to be playing on the US Ryder Cup team at Whistling Straits.
With their ongoing feud still not buried at the time, questions were being asked regarding whether their fractured relationship could cause problems for the US team during the Ryder Cup.
Koepka addressed the media at Royal St. Georges ahead of The Open four years ago, and was asked if it would be possible for both players to be part of the same team at Whistling Straits.
He replied: “You realize it’s only a week, right?
“It’s only a week. I mean, look, I can put it aside for business. If we’re going to be on the same team, I can deal with anybody in the world for a week.
“I’m not playing with him. I’m pretty sure we’re not going to be paired together, put it that way. I think it’s kind of obvious. It doesn’t matter. I don’t think they’re—we’re not going to be high fiving and having late-night conversations. I do my thing, he does his thing. Yeah, we’re on the same team, but it’s not an issue at all. I don’t view it as an issue. I don’t think he does. Like I said, I can put anything aside for a team, business, whatever, just to get the job done. No problem with that.”
Koepka ended up being proven right. The United States dominated the Europeans and won by a resounding 10 points with the final score ending up an emphatic 19-9.
The man from Jupiter, Florida, took two points from his four matches while DeChambeau took 2.5 points from three matches.
PGA Tour formed new rule due to Brooks Koepka vs Bryson DeChambeau feud
Incredibly, the PGA Tour were forced into creating new guidelines due to the American duo’s strained relationship.
DeChambeau was being heckled during golf tournaments at the time of his falling out with Koepka.
Some fans were aiming chants of ‘Brooksy’ towards the 31-year-old from Dallas, Texas, whenever he hit the ball.
DeChambeau complained about this and the PGA Tour brought a new rule into play whereby any fans who heckled the American by shouting ‘Brooksy’ would be ejected from the grounds.
Having done a fair amount of research, I don’t believe the PGA Tour have ever formed a new rule because of a rivalry between two players and the influence it had on some fans during tournaments.
The fact of the matter is that the two LIV golfers not getting along makes for great entertainment, and after the controversy during the Team Championship in Michigan, it will be great to see them drawn against each other very soon!
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