The USGA Has Decided to Not Pair Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau Together

When you think about golf, the first thing that pops into your head probably isn't trash talk. Unless, you're referring to Michael Jordan using the game as a means of creating mental vendettas to get himself going in order to crush people on the basketball court. But when you think of professional golf, "beef" isn't the first thing that comes to mind. However, the vocal dislike that Brooks Koepka has for Bryson DeChambeau has a lot of people wondering: Why does he hate him so much?

Whether the two golfers know it or not, they're making the sport interesting for outsiders by never shying away from showing their disdain for each other.

So how did their beef originate? Well, it seems like it could have started with complaints about "slow play," as per USA Today.

Story goes that back in 2019 there were some PGA players, Brooks included, who weren't too happy with the speed in which Bryson was playing. Bryson apparently went to Brooks's caddie and informed the assistant that if Brooks had any issues with the way he plays, he should address those concerns to his face.

Following that, after Brooks got the message from his caddie he approached Bryson in order to talk things out, but it doesn't look like their beef was squashed at all. In fact, it seems to have been amplified from that point forward.

DeChambeau, when asked about the beef between them, joked about their feud, saying, "Let’s be honest, we know who would win that fight and it’s not me. Let me tell you right now — he’d kick my [butt]." Seems like an olive branch was extended, but it doesn't look like Brooks was having it.

Brooks Koepka appeared in ESPN The Magazine's famed "Body Issue" that takes nude photographs of athletes in all of their chiseled glory. While live-streaming a gaming session, Bryson DeChambeau quipped that Brooks doesn't have a cut midsection: "He doesn’t have any abs, to be honest. I got some abs!"

But then Brooks provided this wonderful rejoinder flaunting his pro-golfing achievements.

Then, in 2020 Bryson DeChambeau received some heat for getting into a verbal spat with a CBS camera operator. From Bryson's perspective, the exchange looked like this: "He was literally watching me the whole entire way up after getting out of the bunker, walking up next to the green. And I just was like, ‘Sir, what is the need to watch me that long?’ I mean, I understand it’s his job to video me, but at the same point, I think we need to start protecting our players out here compared to showing a potential vulnerability and hurting someone’s image. I just don’t think that’s necessarily the right thing to do," Bryson said, as per Golfweek.

Brooks commented on the scandal by simply tweeting this very pertinent and excellent GIF from Eastbound & Down.

Bryson continued to add to his "villain" persona when he requested a ball drop after seeing ants near his ball during a summer 2020 game. It quickly became a joke among golf fans.

And of course, Brooks was there to make his own faux-insect complaint in the middle of a game, jokingly requesting a ball drop of his own due to unforeseen circumstANTces (had to do it).

While getting ready to speak with reporters, Brooks can be seen looking at someone walking by off-camera. That person is none other than Bryson DeChambeau. Brooks rolls his eyes before discussing the outcome of the game he just played. Then, mid-interview, Brooks loses his train of thought due to the intense dislike he has for his opponent.

Fans were gobbling it up.

Although there was some speculation that the two might be paired up at the U.S. Open, that idea was ultimately shut down by the USGA, who seemingly made it clear that it wouldn't allow any personal drama to overshadow the entire event.

Justin Thomas, the second-best-ranked player in the world, shared his thoughts on the decision, saying he was proud of the organization for avoiding a potential catastrophe.

"The tournament is a lot bigger than those two, in my opinion," Justin explained, per ESPN. "It seems like everyone wanted to see it, but it's not fair for either one of them to be distracted from trying to win a major from something they have going on outside. No offense to them, this tournament isn't about them — it's about the U.S. Open."

Brooks has been adamant that he doesn't care if Bryson knows he doesn't like him, recently telling ESPN that he doesn't "live with regret" following the leaked footage that showed him rolling his eyes at Bryson when he walked past him during an interview.

It's clear why that potential catastrophe was avoided! Stay tuned for more details on their tense relationship as it continues to develop.