If you don’t follow golf closely, it is understandable, because it is not everyone’s cup of tea. Even if you don’t follow golf at all, it is still extremely hard to miss the game’s biggest storyline over the past few months; the ongoing feud between two extremely talented golfers, Bryson Dechambeau and Brooks Koepka.
This feud was reignited after the PGA championship, but it all started when Brooks showed his distaste for Bryson, chirping about Bryson’s slow play, which we as fans hate. Bryson is a rising superstar in the game and with his huge ego and long drives, many fans hate the guy’s style.
A few years back, after struggling to start his tour career, Bryson bulked up over 40 pounds to increase driving distance. He also developed new putting methods, such as using arm lock putters for stability and equations to decipher greens and their speeds. This practice might well have worked. Since 2018, Bryson has won 9 times on tour, including the 2020 U.S. Open. Brooks, on the other hand, is a four-time major championship winner, winning back-to-back U.S. Opens, and PGA championships.
Brooks is the people’s golfer. Many fans appreciate how outspoken he is about his distaste for Bryson, as many of us share the same feelings. Recently, the feud was dialed up a notch after a clip of Bryson walking behind Brooks during an interview at the PGA Championship surfaced. In the clip, Brooks rolls his eyes, and loses his mind as he says “I lost my train of thought hearing that bullshit”.
It is unclear what set him off, but many fans speculate Bryson said something about reading the greens, or maybe Brooks just heard the annoying sound of the metal cleats Bryson wears. Additionally, there was another layer added to this story arising from the clip: at tournaments following the PGA Championship, fans began showing support for Brooks, and dislike for Bryson.
After Bryson said he lived ‘rent-free’ in Brooks’ head, he had multiple people kicked out of tournaments for simply yelling “Let’s go Brooksy (Brooks’ nickname)”. Now, you tell me who is living rent free? This feud will not stop there though. As we draw closer to the fan favorite Ryder Cup tournament, a new question arises. Will Bryson be paired with Brooks? We sure got some interesting quotes from both of them regarding that question.
Bryson has avoided all inquiries about the feud, but he has finally opened up, saying he “doesn’t remember anything he said to set [Brooks] off” and that it would “be fun” to play with Brooks at the Ryder Cup. Brooks stated that he “could deal with anyone in the world for a week” in relation to playing with Bryson, but I highly doubt he could deal with all of Bryson’s bullshit.
Mere weeks after melting down on the final holes of the U.S Open, Bryson had a horrid first round at the British Open. Afterwards, Bryson -- in his typical whiny fashion-- went on a rant about how horrible his game and driver were, openly stating “the driver sucks”. His sponsor, Cobra, was furious about this.
Not even a week after the pair put aside their differences while talking about the Ryder cup, Brooks took another jab at Bryson. After finishing -4 on Friday at the Open, Brooks said, “I love my driver” while flashing a huge smile. It is clear there is no end to this battle in sight, which is great for both fans and the game of golf.
Personally, I am with most golf fans as I will be supporting Team Brooks. We avid golf fans should be ecstatic that this feud is ongoing because it is growing the game widely. As we get closer and closer to the Ryder Cup I sure hope team USA pairs these two together because it would be an all-time matchup, and thousands more would tune in for the drama.