Brooks Koepka-Bryson DeChambeau feud heats up at perfect time ahead of U.S. Open
Golf isn't like most other team sports. There aren’t bitter rivalries, like the Yankees and Red Sox on the diamond or the Steelers and Ravens on the gridiron. Being an individual sport with 100-plus golfers in the field nearly every week, it’s difficult for competitors to develop heated battles with other players.
But Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka have managed to do just that and it’s provided a spark for a sport that could use a legitimate rivalry – one that’s more than just a friendly battle on the course.
These two major champions have grown to dislike each other over the last year or so, trading barbs off the course and on social media. Fans predictably love it, and they should. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson had their rivalry in the ‘90s and 2000s, and Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer duked it out in the ‘60s and ‘70s. But Twitter and Instagram weren’t around for those pairings, which changes everything.
How? Just watch this video posted by Koepka on Twitter after fans were ejected from the Memorial tournament for sarcastically shouting “Brooksy” at DeChambeau.
Capping off a long day with @MichelobULTRA! Thanks for all the support today. Also, we’ve got something for you… pic.twitter.com/kwtwXg3Kqb
— Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) June 4, 2021
Koepka didn’t call out DeChambeau by name, but everyone who watched the video knew exactly who he was talking about.
DeChambeau called the comments from fans “flattering,” though video from the tournament showed he was clearly frustrated by it.
There’s never really been an off-course rivalry like this in golf as it seems Koepka and DeChambeau genuinely do not like each other. Tiger and Phil weren’t always the friendliest with each other, and Nick Faldo and Paul Azinger exchanged shots of their own during their playing days, but DeChambeau-Koepka is a breed of its own.
What makes it so great is the way it highlights their personalities. DeChambeau is a calculated analytical player who takes golf very seriously. Koepka is just the opposite. He said last April that he doesn’t even like to play golf in the offseason.
“I’m not playing golf. I’ve got better things to do. I’ll go six weeks (without playing). I’d rather be out on the boat, drinking, hanging out, doing what everybody else is doing,” Koepka said on Pardon My Take.
That’s something you’ll probably never hear come out of Bryson “The Scientist” DeChambeau’s mouth.
They’re completely different people on and off the course, which is why this rivalry has been so much fun to follow. Things really got interesting when a video was leaked on the internet showing Koepka react to DeChambeau saying something loudly in the background of his interview.
It instantly turned into a viral meme, with users on Twitter coming up with creative ways to share the hilarious image of Koepka’s sigh. Even Tom Brady got in on the fun, trolling Aaron Rodgers with his own iteration of the meme.
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) May 26, 2021
The NBA and NFL both have players trolling each other or firing shots on social media pretty often. It never happens in golf. And Koepka is absolutely right when he says it’s good for the game.
“The fact that golf's on pretty much every news outlet for about two weeks pretty consistently, I think that's a good thing,” Koepka said at this week’s Palmetto Championship press conference, where DeChambeau is not in the field. “It's growing the game. You know, the younger generation – I get the traditionalists who don't agree with it. I understand that, but I think to grow the game you've got to reach out to the younger generation, and I think that's what – I don't want to say that's what this is, but it's reaching out to a whole bunch of people. It's getting golf in front of people.”
Twitter had a field day when Koepka tweeted this after Aaron Rodgers was paired with DeChambeau for “The Match,” simply saying “Sorry bro.”
Sorry bro @AaronRodgers12
— Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) May 26, 2021
DeChambeau replied with a funny comment of his own, but Koepka finished it off with the viral video of DeChambeau trying to get fans who called him “Brooksy” ejected from the Memorial tournament.
— Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) May 26, 2021
The timing of their spat couldn’t be much better, either. Even though DeChambeau isn't playing this weekend, both will be in the field at the U.S. Open next week at Torrey Pines.
DeChambeau is the defending champion. Koepka has won the event twice (2017 and 2018). It would almost be poetic if DeChambeau were to win the U.S. Open back-to-back just three years after Koepka did the same thing.
Before they even tee it up next week at Torrey, we might be treated to some fun on social media from either player. Imagine what Koepka might post on Twitter if he wins this weekend. Or what DeChambeau might say if Koepka misses the cut.
The fact that fans want to keep an eye on both players’ social media accounts just goes to show the impact they’re having on younger supporters. They want to know who’s going to throw the next jab.
Golf is no longer just about what players shoot between the ropes from Thursday to Sunday. Sure, success on the course generates buzz; if Koepka and DeChambeau weren’t major champions, this feud might not be gaining the attention it has. But the game has grown outside the ropes to where fans are following players more than ever to see what they’re doing away from the course.
As unfortunate as it is that Tiger Woods has battled injuries in recent years, golf is in good hands and it’s partly thanks to personalities like Koepka and DeChambeau. Fans used to ask,
“Is Tiger playing this week?” And if the answer was no, they likely wouldn’t tune in.
No player is truly on that level of must-see TV right now – and it’s likely no one ever will be – but Koepka and DeChambeau have captured the attention of the most casual fans. They give viewers yet another reason to watch events, especially the majors.
Who wouldn’t love to see Koepka and DeChambeau paired for the first two rounds of the U.S. Open? Or in the final round on Sunday at Torrey Pines?
And later this year, there’s a good chance they’ll be on the same team at the 2021 Ryder Cup as the Americans take on the European team. Koepka insists their rivalry won’t be a distraction for Team USA, but if this feud continues to rage on in September, things could get interesting for captain Steve Stricker.
Fans will be pounding the table for him to pair Koepka and DeChambeau together, even if they wouldn’t make the best teammates. Now that would be must-see TV for those who don’t even follow the sport.
Unless DeChambeau and Koepka come to blows on the course “Happy Gilmore”-style, their back-and-forth is mostly harmless. It’s captured the attention of younger fans and made them more interested in golf, even if they’re not going to play every weekend like some others.
Hopefully it continues because these two stars have given us plenty to be excited about in a sport that doesn’t get the attention of the NFL, MLB or NBA.
