Golfing enemies Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau showed no sign of calling a truce as they continued their bitter feud on Twitter – with NFL legend Tom Brady also taking a shot at the big-hitting American.
The pair have been at each other’s throats for over two years now but the animosity went up a notch when video footage of Koepka swearing about DeChambeau was leaked and went viral earlier this week.
As DeChambeau walked behind Koepka during an off-air TV interview, apparently talking to a member of his team, the latter was furious and said: ‘I f***ing lost my train of my thought hearing that bull****. F***ing Christ.’
The video received enormous attention on social media and gave their rivalry new life after spats over slow play, a naked magazine cover shoot and steroid jokes in recent years.
But they took their squabble to social media on Wednesday after it was announced that DeChambeau will team up with NFL star Aaron Rodgers to take on Phil Mickelson and American football legend Brady in a charity match in July.
Koepka, who finished second behind Mickelson as he became golf’s oldest major winner at last week’s US PGA Championship, jokingly apologised to Rodgers for the partner he had been given.
He tweeted the Green Bay Packers quarterback, saying: ‘Sorry bro @AaronRodgers12.’
Brady also delivered a superb blow to opponent DeChambeau, posting a meme of an image from the infamous interview with a furious Koepka.
With DeChambeau walking past in the background, it reads: ‘Bryson, happy to be here’.
But alongside an image of a furious Koepka, it says: ‘Aaron (Rodgers) realising he has to spend the whole day with Bryson’.
DeChambeau appeared to ignore Brady but did respond to Koepka’s dig and suggested he had gotten under his skin, posting: ‘@BKoepka It’s nice to be living rent free in your head!’
Trying to suggest it was DeChambeau and not him who was rattled, Koepka replied with a video where a fan aimed a swipe at DeChambeau by shouting ‘alright Brooksy’ after he had a hit a tee shot at Kiawah Island last week.
DeChambeau can be heard replying: ‘Whoever is calling me Brooksy needs to get out of here.’
Mickelson also waded in on the feud, tweeting: ‘I feel like I’m in the middle of something and should step aside. (Except they want the CURRENT PGA champ :)’.
Mickelson, 50, and Brady will come up against DeChambeau and Rodgers – the reigning NFL MVP – on July 6 at the spectacular Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana.
Mickelson will once again play with Brady – with the pair having fallen to defeat in ‘The Match II’ against Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning last May.
DeChambeau and Koepka have had a fractious relationship since DeChambeau, who has undergone an extraordinary body change in recent years, took a dig at Koepka’s own physique after his naked appearance on the front cover of ‘The Body Issue’ of ESPN Magazine.
Speaking on a Twitch stream in January 2020, DeChambeau said of his US Ryder Cup team-mate: ‘I don’t know if his genetics even make him look good, to be honest. I mean, the Body Issue, he didn’t have any abs, I can tell you that. I’ve got some abs.’
Koepka then escalated the tension when he replied on Twitter with a picture of his four Major trophies, telling DeChambeau he was right because he is ‘2 short of a 6 pack!’
But the ill-feeling ramped up even higher at Kiawah Island last Saturday when the pair’s paths crossed during Koepka’s post-round interview with the Golf Channel, which was being pre-recorded and was not live on TV.
It appeared Koepka was already annoyed by DeChambeau’s presence before the interview started because he rolled his eyes at someone towards the side of the camera.
When asked about his performance, Koepka, 31, then said: ‘I just ball-struck my way around this place.
‘I didn’t putt well but I don’t think many guys are going to putt well in this wind. It’s very tough.
‘I don’t know what the other guys have said but I found it difficult to read sometimes…’
It is at this point of the interview that DeChambeau walked behind Koepka while apparently talking to a member of his team.
While you can’t hear what DeChambeau says, a clearly irked Koepka shut his eyes and forgot what he was saying himself, which he did not take well.
Clearly annoyed by DeChambeau, Koepka said: ‘I f***ing lost my train of my thought hearing that bull****. F***ing christ.’
The Golf Channel reporter then joked ‘we’re going to enjoy that in the TV compound’ before Koepka said: ‘I honestly wouldn’t even care.’
It’s been claimed online that Koepka was annoyed by the sound of DeChambeau’s metal spikes as he walked along the ground. Others have said DeChambeau said ‘just gotta start it on the right line’ in a derogatory reference to Koepka’s comments about struggling to putt.
It will be interesting to see whether or not their feud escalates in the coming weeks with the pair both expected to feature at The Memorial Tournament, which starts on June 3 at Muirfield Village Golf Club.