STERLING, Va. — Moments after Brooks Koepka won his fifth career major championship Sunday, he was greeted and congratulated by perhaps the unlikeliest of foes: Bryson DeChambeau.
For years, the feud between the two men was one of the juiciest subplots in professional golf. But in recent months, it’s appeared that the tenor of their relationship has changed.
“Look, I’m going to give respect where respect is due,” DeChambeau said in a news conference Wednesday when asked why he walked back to the 18th green to congratulate Koepka.
“He has won five majors, and he played better than me that week. And what was sad is that really nobody was there to congratulate him after.”
At its core, DeChambeau said, the gesture was simply about respect, though there is some important context.
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“He’s a LIV Golfer and I am, too,” he added. “And obviously that’s a part of it.”
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As the Saudi-financed golf league hits the midway point of its second campaign this week with an event at Trump National Golf Club, Kopeka’s win at the PGA Championship has given everyone affiliated with Team LIV a chance to take a victory lap – even the two men who were once at the center of golf’s most public feud.
While the victory was individually massive for Koepka, making him one of just 20 men to have won five majors or more, it has also become a rallying cry for LIV Golf. The league has long touted its team-centric, 54-hole format. But Koepka’s win, which was the first major title for a LIV golfer, underlined both the foxhole mentality that exists among its players and the tension between them and the rest of the golfing world.
“Look, (Koepka’s win) proves that we can play in major championships. Proves that the schedule is good enough for us to win major championships,” said DeChambeau, who finished in a tie for fourth at the PGA Championship.
“Yeah, it’s an individual sport, but there’s a team component to it now. And it’s really cool to see how (LIV golfers) are playing well not only for their teams and for themselves, but for an organization that deserves to be mentioned a lot more in a better light than what it is.”
Koepka said on Instagram in February that he and DeChambeau had “squashed” their proverbial beef, in large part because of their shared interest in LIV. “I actually talk to him quite frequently because of what’s going on here at LIV. Pretty much on an every-other-day basis,” Koepka said.
Their interaction Sunday served as the latest evidence of that, and the way LIV golfers have come to view one another’s success as a point of pride.
LIV Golf vs. PGA Tour
Koepka’s victory, which gave him a nice boost in the world rankings, has also reignited many of the LIV vs. PGA Tour debates that have been simmering in the sport. Should LIV golfers, like Koepka, be eligible to compete in the Ryder Cup later this year if they qualify? Should they earn world rankings points based on their performances in LIV events, like the one beginning Friday? And do their 54-hole events represent a step down in level of play or preparation?
“I gave up on that narrative about six months ago,” another LIV golfer, Cameron Smith, told reporters Sunday. “We’re still out there. We haven’t forgot how to play golf.”
Charles Howell III, a member of DeChambeau’s LIV team, said Wednesday that he believes LIV golfers are “still working as hard now or harder” than when they were on the PGA Tour, despite playing fewer holes per event. He views LIV’s lighter schedule as an advantage.
“I understand the majors historically have 72 holes, but there is nothing sacred about that number,” Howell said. “Fifty-four holes in a way can be a bit more pressure, in that it’s condensed and you can’t really afford to have a bad run of nine holes or so”
LIV Golf and its players have drawn widespread criticism over the past 18 months as the league – which is funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – has used eight- and nine-figure contract offers to lure several marquee names away from the PGA Tour, creating a schism in the sport that has since spilled into federal court.
Saudi Arabia has been accused of wide-ranging human rights abuses, including politically motivated killings, torture, forced disappearances and inhumane treatment of prisoners. And members of the royal family and Saudi government were accused of involvement in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist.
LIV Golf has also drawn some ire in the political space for frequenting courses owned by former president Donald Trump; This weekend’s event at Trump National is the first of three tournaments that will be held at Trump properties this year.
DeChambeau, 29, is one of LIV’s most well-known players, alongside Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed and Koepka. When he teed off Saturday at the PGA Championship, he was greeted with loud boos, ostensibly in relation to his role with LIV.
He grinned Wednesday when asked about the boos, in the context of a larger question: All of the acrimony he’s received for joining LIV Golf, the questions about his ethics given the league’s ties to Saudi Arabia – has it been worth it?
“When you talk about ethics, that’s people’s perception. I completely disagree with it, but everybody has the right to their own opinion,” he said. “Was it worth it? Absolutely. This has been beyond my dreams, what I could have imagined this becoming. And it’s only getting better. I think over the course of time, like many have said, you’ll see what good and what positive impact we’re having.”
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Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.
