Brooks Koepka walks on the first green during a practice round of the U.S. Open Golf Championship on June 15, 2021, at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego.Torrey Pines has had its share of conflict over the years involving some of the top players in golf. Just not during such a taxing major as the U.S. Open.
But this social media spat is different from the other two that played out at Torrey Pines, getting so much attention that it has become the primary point of interest at this U.S. Open.DeChambeau and Koepka are on opposite sides of the draw and starting at opposite ends of the course. There’s a chance they might not even see each other this week, though they were hard to miss. Koepka wore lime green shorts.
The U.S. Open starts Thursday, and both players will have enough concerns coping with a South Course with dense, punishing rough that looks to fit the bill as the toughest test in golf.“It doesn’t matter to me what goes on,” Koepka said. “It makes no difference to me. I’m out there trying to play my own game. What happens inside the ropes, it won’t bother me.”“I hope on the weekend we can play against each other and compete,” DeChambeau said.
“I think they’ve got a rivalry now, and I think it’s good for the game in the sense of rivals,” Webb Simpson said. “I think them kind of being open and honest is good in a way because we know kind of what they think.”
There is a Player Impact Fund that pays out $40 million for social media popularity. Maybe Bryce and Brooks are having the last laugh with the rivalry?