After pulling level with Brooks Koepka’s haul of two US Open titles, Bryson DeChambeau was greeted by his long-time rival as the LIV Golf season gets back underway this week. Four years after securing his first, DeChambeau pulled off a late comeback to beat Rory McIlroy and add a second US crown to his collection on Sunday.
But it was back to business at The Grove on Tuesday as Crushers captain DeChambeau ran into Smash skipper Koepka on the driving range. And despite at one point sharing one of the most bitter feuds fans have witnessed in golf, it was all love these days as the pair reunited.
There was a time when neither star made a secret of their dislike for one another, with Koepka particularly vocal about his feelings. The duo even had a special edition of The Match against one another in 2021, where five-time major champion Koepka came out on top.
“I just don’t understand how it takes a minute and 20 seconds, a minute and 15 to hit a golf ball,” he said during an appearance on Michael Weston’s Golf Monthly podcast at the time. “It’s not that hard.”
DeChambeau later fired back by making fun of Koepka’s physique when shooting an ESPN Body Issue photo shoot in 2019. The former appeared on a Twitch steam the following year and said: “I don’t know if his genetics even make him look good to be honest … I mean on Body Issue he didn’t even have any abs, I can tell you that. I got some abs.”
That wasn’t the end of it, however, as Koepka responded by posting a photo of his major trophy haul at the time, consisting of two PGA Championships and two US Open titles. He’s since added a third PGA crown to his haul but wrote at the time: “You were right. I am two short of a six-pack!”
Fast-forward to today, and things couldn’t look any more different regarding their relationship on the surface. Both players made the decision to leave the PGA Tour and join the Saudi-funded LIV Golf League, which only appears to have helped heal any wounds.
Koepka, 34, offered his former nemesis a hearty handshake after spotting one another at the range in Nashville ahead of the competition getting underway on Friday. And DeChambeau, 30, responded by embracing his fellow two-time US Open-winner.
It couldn’t be any more different to the frosty back-and-forth once perpetuated between the pair. Back in 2019, the elder Koepka didn’t hold back when expressing frustration with DeChambeau’s slow pace at the Dubai Desert Classic.
The pair appear to have made amends since each joining the LIV exodus, showing more manners towards one another in recent times. Koepka even uploaded a picture of the pair to Instagram in 2023, which showed DeChambeau with an arm around his former rival.
And those good vibes seem to have been sustained as the pair got back to business on the Saudi-backed breakaway tour. Despite captaining opposing teams in the LIV Golf League, there was nothing to suggest there was any residual resentment left between the two stars.
Koepka is seeking his second win of the LIV season in Nashville after collecting a first victory of the year in Singapore at the start of May. DeChambeau is still yet to win an LIV event thus far in 2024, although his Crushers outfit have notched two victories.
