Golf is normally a gentleman’s game, but recently that has not been the case. Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau have been anything but gentleman-like to each other.
The bickering recently picked up when a loud DeChambeau walked past Koepka during an interview with the media, which Koepka called “bulls–t.” The battle then continued through social media and stretched onto the course.
Koepka told ESPN that he thinks his evolving feud is a good thing for golf.
“It’s growing the game,” Koepka said. “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 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. I think it’s good for the game.”
Hecklers were all over the place last week at the Memorial Tournament, but most of them were targeting DeChambeau. Meanwhile, Koepka offered free beer to fans that were kicked out of the event.
The latest debacle between the two has been anything but ordinary in the golf world. But while both DeChambeau and Koepka might be enjoying it, other golfers, such as Kevin Kisner, think that the use of social media is childish and should be settled in another way.
“I sure would like to see them get on there and do a little pay-per-view and quit all the BS social media stuff.” Kisner said.
No matter how the beef gets settled, the two golfers will have to swallow their pride for at least a weekend in September. Both Koepka and DeChambeau will most likely be representing the US as members of the Ryder Cup team. Koepka thinks that he can do so, even by social distancing from DeChambeau.
“There’s only eight guys that are playing [at a time], four guys are sitting, whatever,” Koepka said. “I mean, I play with one other guy. I don’t understand – if let’s say I don’t play with Bryson or Bryson doesn’t play with me, he takes care of his match, and I would take care of my match, and I don’t know how that has any effect. What you do off the golf course doesn’t have any effect on the golf course.”
