The biggest story regarding Team USA entering the Ryder Cup was the complicated, but storied relationship of Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. They are two of the biggest names in the sport today and have had well documented issues in recent years. There are different opinions about where the issues began, but the underlying truth is that they have been very public about their problems with one another. This week, all eyes have been on the pair because they will be teammates representing the United States. All the players are at Whistling Straits Golf Course gearing up for the event. On Tuesday, Bryson and Brooks were seen chatting on the range, and they seem to be on good terms, at least for the week.
The beef between the two has recently become such an issue that the PGA Tour even had to intervene. They warned all patrons that if they say “Brooksy” to DeChambeau they will be removed from any tour events. People have differing opinions on the matter, but the fact remains that this has clearly reached a tipping point. Other players that have played with DeChambeau this season have even come to his defense saying it has gotten out of hand.
Bryon’s Controversies
Bryson DeChambeau is one of the top players currently on the PGA Tour. He has eight career wins on Tour including a win at the US Open in 2020. At only 28 years of age, he is one of the biggest names in the sport due to his incredible distance. He currently ranks #1 in the world in driver distance with an average length of 323.7 ft. But his performance on the golf course is not always the reason DeChambeau finds himself in headlines. He has had many controversies throughout his career including bashing his own sponsors, questioning rules officials, and having back-and-forths with TV crews and fans alike. A guy who is literally changing the way golf is being played should be one of the favorites on Tour. Although it seems Bryson has trouble staying out of his own way sometimes. So where does Brooks Koepka fit into all of this?
The Rivalry
Many people believe the rivalry between DeChambeau and Koepka dates back to 2019 when Koepka criticized DeChambeau’s pace of play. “I just dont understand how it takes a minute and twenty seconds, a minute-fifteen to hit a golf ball” Koepka said. Bryson defended himself in a response to this quote saying “it’s actually impressive what we do in 45 seconds. Anybody who has an issue with it, I understand, but we are playing for our livelihoods”. Although this seems insignificant, it proved to be the first of many jabs at one another. The next stir up took place after DeChambeau commented on Koepka’s figure. Bryson had recently went through his own body transformation during the COVID shutdown. He put on roughly 30 pounds of pure muscle and on social media, said that Brooks “doesn’t even have a six pack’. Brooks responded with a photo of his four major trophies saying “I’m two short of a six pack”.
The petty continued throughout to 2021 PGA Tour season and people questioned if the two were going to be able to handle being on the same team. Leading up to the Ryder Cup, Brooks Koepka even made a comment saying that it was going to be an adjustment to be apart of a team when they are used to playing an individual sport.
After the two were seen chatting on the range on Tuesday, Bryson was asked about the encounter and explained that it was a good conversation, but the two had also spoke during there Tour Championship.
Future
Is the Ryder Cup what the two needed to finally put their differences to rest? Are they doing it just for the sake of representing their country in one of there biggest tournaments in golf? I personally do not see this blossoming into a friendship between the two. I do believe they both understand how important the Ryder Cup is. They are willing to put their differences aside in efforts to represent their country in the correct way. As competitors, these guys want to win. They understand that in order for that to happen, they need to do what’s best for the team as whole. Nothing is certain about the relationship between the two. USA fans should be encouraged by this news just days before the Ryder Cup kicks off.
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