AP Photo/Charlie Riedel; AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
- Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau don't like each other.
- Recently, Koepka fans trolled DeChambeau at a tournament Koepka wasn't even playing in.
- Both players say the rivalry isn't a big deal and may be good for the game. It could come to a head at the US Open.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
The rivalry between Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau is only getting hotter.
What started with Koepka criticizing DeChambeau for his slow pace of play years ago has grown into an ongoing stare-down between two of the best players in golf.
Bryson mocked Brooks for lacking six-pack abs. Brooks mocked Bryson for lacking in major victories.
Then, after DeChambeau bulked up during quarantine, Koepka not-so-subtlely accused him of using steroids by tweeting a GIF from HBO's "Eastbound and Down."
The ongoing exchange has been a joy to watch for golf fans. That's only enhanced by the fact that both men are doing everything they can to show they're not taking it seriously and blaming the other guy for caring too much about it.
But as the feud continues to escalate, the tension is bound to break. When it does, it could be some of the most exciting golf we've seen in years.
The feud between Koepka and DeChambeau keeps escalating
Koepka despises DeChambeau, an opinion he displayed clearly in an accidentally released interview in May.
In the middle of that interview, DeChambeau walked by behind Koepka wearing his metal spikes, causing him to lose focus. Koepka told Golf Channel reporter Todd Lewis: "I lost my train of thought, yeah, hearing that bulls---."
@RJWinfield / Twitter
After both men traded barbs on Twitter, fans began to get involved. Brooks supporters jeered at DeChambeau with cheers of "Go Brooks!" or "Brooksie!" when he played in the Memorial Tournament - an event Koepka wasn't even in.
Several fans were kicked out of the tournament for that infraction, prompting Koepka to respond on Twitter with a branded tie-in.
"What's up guys! It's Brooksie!" Koepka said in a video posted to his Twitter account. "Just wanted to say hey, thank you guys for the support. I heard a bunch of you were shouting my name at the golf tournament today. I know I'm not playing but thank you guys for showing support.
"And if your time was, I don't know, let's say 'cut short' at the golf tournament today, DM Michelob Ultra, and we're going to be giving out 50 cases of beer for the first 50 people. In case your time was cut short, you had any trouble at the tournament, just as a thank you for showing support."
-Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) June 4, 2021
Koepka and DeChambeau both insist they're unbothered
Given that Koepka all but openly thanked fans for trolling his rival, one might think both men would agree that things are escalating. But Koepka and DeChambeau continue to insist that no, they aren't mad, they're actually laughing.
"Oh, they weren't taunts at all, it was flattering,'' DeChambeau said after the jeers from Koepka supporters. "I think it's absolutely flattering what they're doing. They can keep calling me that all day if they want to, I've got no issue with it. When you look at it, to most people they think it's a distraction, but I grew up learning how to deal with that stuff.''
Koepka was equally deferential about DeChambeau. In his first press appearance after the video of his eye-roll came out, Koepka said that the tension between him and DeChambeau was, above anything else, good for golf.
"I think it's good for the game. I really do,'' Koepka said. "The fact that golf's on pretty much every news outlet for about two weeks pretty consistently, I think that's a good thing."
Asked if he was upset that the eye-roll clip had made its way onto Twitter, Koepka insisted it was no big deal.
"It doesn't bother me, honestly," Koepka said. "I'm OK with anything I do. I don't really live with regrets. It's nothing I'm terribly upset about. From everybody I spoke to, it is what it is and move on."
These statements suggest that both men, each of whom have won millions of dollars playing golf, are reaching dangerous levels of "completely unbothered, why do you ask?"
No matter what Koepka and DeChambeau say, both are responsible for the rivalry
Despite the fact that both sides have done their part to escalate the feud, neither Koepka nor DeChambeau want to acknowledge that the other is in his head. Instead, both seem to insist it's really the other guy that's being dramatic.
After a few mocking tweets from Koepka about the upcoming "Match" event that DeChambeau will play in with Phil Mickelson, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers, DeChambeau responded that he was "living rent free" in Koepka's head.
That's what this is all about: Two grown men that don't like each other, continuously insisting that it's actually the other guy who is bothered.
No matter how much Koepka and DeChambeau keep saying this is all in good fun, the rivalry seems bound to come to a head.
The PGA Tour hasn't paired the two together in recent years, but the duo could play together at the US Open next week, either through the first two rounds or into the weekend if both are sitting at a similar score.
When Koepka and DeChambeau finally play a round together, the tension will be electric and the golf will be brilliant, with years of seething coming to the fore.
Just don't expect either of them to admit it.