It’s no secret that Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka have never seen eye-to-eye.
And now Bryson DeChambeau has reacted to Brooks Koepka‘s decision to leave LIV Golf
The two Americans were part of the first wave of players who left the PGA Tour to join the Saudi-backed golf league in 2022.
Interestingly, DeChambeau and Koepka had genuine disdain for one another when they were on the PGA Tour.
Is this the end of LIV Golf?
Their feud lasted for a few years and actually came close to affecting America’s preparation for the 2021 Ryder Cup.However, they seemed to bury the hatchet after linking up on LIV. Koepka even praised DeChambeau for his YouTube content creation.
That said, the cracks started to appear in their relationship once again earlier this year.
Back in August, Koepka labelled DeChambeau as a ‘strange cat’ ahead of the LIV Team Championship in Michigan.
Bryson DeChambeau says whether Brooks Koepka should be allowed back on the PGA Tour
There is much debate right now regarding where Koepka will be playing his golf in the future.
It has been suggested that the 35-year-old will compete on the DP World Tour in 2026 but what will happen after that in 2027?
Brandel Chamblee suggested that the PGA Tour should insist that Koepka go back to Qualifying School in order to make a real statement of intent.
DeChambeau spoke exclusively to Flushing It on X, and he was asked about his contract talks with LIV and Koepka’s surprise exit earlier this week.
“I mean, look, it’s confidential. I’m not going to share too much, but the conversations are in process. We have to get to a place where both parties have a good understanding of one another. It is getting to a place that makes sense for both sides, and I think that can happen, but you never know.
“Life throws curve balls and, obviously, we saw what happened today (Brooks Koepka leaving LIV Golf) and that was quite a shock to a lot of people and something that, you know, it is what it is. “People make decisions for whatever their needs and wants are and, ultimately, you have to respect it and move on and it feels like it was a mutual understanding and that’s great.
“I think that as a league now we have more opportunity to make some movements and I think that team has an opportunity to do some things differently than the past few seasons. So, we’ll see where it all goes and where it all leads. Ultimately, it’s quite interesting.
“There was always rumblings, but ultimately, it was a shock when I saw it today. I was like, whoa, all right, well, didn’t know it was going to happen today. I didn’t have that on my bingo card for the 23rd of December.
How many majors do you think Brooks Koepka will end his career with?
He’s currently level with the likes of Rory McIlroy, Seve Ballesteros and Byron Nelson with five
“There’s also, people can look at it as an opportunity. I always look at it as when one door closes another opens, right? And, I’m not going to speak for LIV, but I think that’s what we’re thinking of, at least from my perspective. If I was running the league, I’d look at it as an opportunity, not in a negative or positive way. It’s just, it is what it is, right?“
Finally, DeChambeau was asked whether Koepka should be allowed back on the PGA Tour.
He said: “I don’t know, man. I don’t know what they should allow or not. If they’re going to be doing it by the book, they should do it by the book and not give any special exemption.
“But if there’s a special exemption, it definitely opens the doors for others to do the same, which, you know, it’s a slippery slope for sure.”
DeChambeau has totally nailed it there with his comments.
PGA Tour return cannot be consequence-free for Brooks Koepka
If the PGA Tour allow Koepka to return consequence-free, it will be a clear indication to all of the big-name major champions on LIV Golf that they can return to the PGA Tour whenever they want.
The PGA Tour have a big decision to make.
They have to ensure that returning from LIV is attainable at least, but it has to be difficult as well.
Perhaps Koepka should be made to go back to Q-School? People will say that’s ridiculous considering the fact that he’s won five major championships but why shouldn’t he be made to start from scratch?
He took the money to join LIV Golf while others remained loyal to the PGA Tour.
All eyes are on the PGA Tour right now and it will be fascinating to see how they handle the Brooks Koepka situation.
If Brooks Koepka is allowed back on the PGA Tour with minimal punishment, it really wouldn’t be a big surprise to see the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm follow suit.