Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau.Photo: Warren Little/Getty; Kevin C. Cox/Getty
Speaking at a press conference Wednesday ahead of a PGA Tour event, Koepka told reporters that getting golf in the news is bringing the sport to the attention of a younger generation.
“I think it’s good for the game. I really do,” the athlete said when asked about tensions with DeChambeau,ESPN reported. “The fact that golf’s on pretty much every news outlet for about two weeks pretty consistently, I think that’s a good thing.”
“It’s growing the game,” he continued. “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.”
Koepka paused and closed his eyes before telling the Golf Channel, “I lost my train of thought … Hearing that bulls—. F—ing christ.”
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On Wednesday, Koepka clarified that DeChambeau hadn’t said anything to him at the time.
“As far as that was, he didn’t say anything to me. He wasn’t speaking to me. He was either signing his scorecard or wherever and I was just to the right of the media tent, or I guess right in front of the microphones where you guys all were, and I don’t want to say he was like screaming — he was saying something about how he hit a perfect shot and it shouldn’t have been there, and it was just very, very loud,” Koepka explained, per ESPN. “I don’t think the mics picked up on that, but it felt like just so that the fans could hear.”
“With the media right there, you kind of know, hey, look, we’re all kind of in this area, just tone it down, and it was just so loud,” Koepka continued. “Then I think he realized that he had gotten right behind me, and he toned it down a little bit, but it was still — and I just lost train of thought, which I think was pretty obvious.”
The longtime rivals sparred on social media a few weeks after the eye-rolling incident when Koepka tweeted, “Sorry bro @AaronRodgers12,” in apparent reference toAaron Rodgers' pairing with DeChambeau forThe Match: Champions for Charityevent this summer.Tom Bradywill be competing with PGA Tour champion Phil Michelson.
“It’s nice to be living rent free in your head!” DeChambeau responded at the time.
Last year, the golfers exchanged barbs on social media after DeChambeau made fun of Koepka’s abs and body during a Twitch stream.
Koepkaclapped back on Twitter, flashing four of his major championship trophies and writing, “You were right @b_dechambeau I am 2 short of a 6 pack!”
source: people.com
