As reported in New York magazine, it was all part of a game among American golfers, and their nemesis was the controversial Bryson DeChambeau. Now The Post is reporting that Brooks Koepka agrees with the perception of his teammate, explaining that they were only going at it to show that DeChambeau was not “man enough” to pick the name of his own ball, which caused the drama to arise.
“We play the same game every day, every week. I love the guys I play with; I love having fun with them. We’re playing golf,” Koepka said in a telephone interview on Wednesday, less than two weeks after he tied for eighth and DeChambeau for 25th at The Players Championship. “And we love to have fun and we enjoy it. So we go at it, and if that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes. I’m having fun with the guys. I look forward to it. For me, that’s what it comes down to. We’re all playing golf. And if you’re feeling the same way, then, sure, I think that’s OK. It happens in sports all the time.”
Koepka grew up playing the sport with his brother, Zach, but the two often compete against DeChambeau and his family on golf courses, as the golfer’s father can pick out Koepka’s own shot with the aid of a hand-held Zoom method — and any other personal shots used by Koepka.
And while Koepka revealed that he joined DeChambeau in a friendly feud, he also said he had his own thoughts when DeChambeau chose to play Koepka’s name in his golf balls.
“It was just a joke to me. We go, ‘What are you doing,’ ” Koepka said. “He wanted to give the game of golf a little fun. At the end of the day, it was an opportunity to put someone on their backside. I just wanted to spank him a little bit.”