PGA Championship: Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka booed at first tee
For the first two rounds of the PGA Championship, the crowd at Oak Hill Country Club in Upstate New York had mostly been respectful. It pretty much stayed that way Saturday until the 2:30 p.m. tee time.
"From Texas, Bryson DeChambeau," introduced the starter.
"Booooooooooo!" roared the crowd.
Apparently they aren't fans of the mad scientist.
Moments later, "From Florida, Brooks Koepka."
"Booo!" the crowd roared again.
Wait, they're not big fans of Koepka either?
Over the last few years, the golf world has been divided into two camps. The split all stared with a 2021 interview. Brooks Koepka had a camera in his face and a microphone at his mouth when he looked to his right and saw DeChambeau walking behind him, eliciting this reaction:
And with that, you were either Team Brooks or Team Bryson.
The genesis of the feud was nothing nefarious, just a good, ol' fashioned dislike of one another. It would mellow a bit, particularly when both golfers were lured from the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf. Their personalities may be polar opposites, but in that they now share something deep in common.
Saturday, they shared something else in common — a tee time. DeChambeau was the first player into the clubhouse at 3-under Friday, Koepka the last in at 2-under. That led to a dream pairing of two of golf's most interesting players who also happen to not like each.
The booing of DeChambeau was decidedly greater than that of Koepka, but both getting jeered came out of nowhere.
"Not a warm welcome," Jim Nantz said on the CBS broadcast. "I've never heard that, for that matter, at any point back to last summer."
Was it Team Bryson booing Koepka and Team Brooks booing DeChambeau? Was it a New York crowd joining forces to tell these two what it thinks of their decision to jump ship for Saudi-backed LIV Golf?
Whatever the reason for the consternation, it was short lived. After the boos settled, DeChambeau stood over his ball and uncorked a violent swing that launched his ball 299 yards straight down the middle.
"Booom!" came a yell from the crowd.
From boo to boom in under a minute.
