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SHEBOYGAN, Wisconsin – Not only does Bryson DeChambeau think everything will be fine between him and Brooks Koepka this week at the Ryder Cup, he has hinted that some sort of collaboration is underway.
DeChambeau, who has had a months-long feud with Koepka, said on Tuesday it was all about the squad this week as the Americans try to win the competition against Europe for the third time in 10 tries.
“A lot of this social media stuff has certainly been driven by a lot of external factors, not necessarily the two of us,” DeChambeau said at Whistling Straits, where the Ryder Cup kicks off on Friday. “We had some great conversations in Tour Championship week when we had dinner and then this week as well.
“I sat down and had dinner with him last night and everything went well. I think there might be something here moving forward, but I won’t talk about it too much. . “
It is unclear what DeChambeau was referring to, but it is possible that this was some sort of made-for-TV match-up in the mold of the one he was in with Phil Mickelson, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. in July. Koepka was not available to the media on Tuesday.
DeChambeau and Koepka have made frequent trips back and forth since the PGA Championship in May, when a viral video that was not supposed to be released sparked a massive backlash. This ultimately led to quite a bit of ruckus at the tournament sites for DeChambeau.
Fan behavior has gotten bad enough that PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said during the Tour Championship that such interaction with fans could lead to ejections.
“No matter what, we’re all humans at the end of the day, and I think there’s obviously a level of, I guess you could say, of control that any human will ever have, and you can have a lot of armor and you can protect yourself with the people around you and stuff, “DeChambeau said.” Of course there are times when it’s not comfortable, but there are also times. where that feeds me. I think this week is going to be an amazing example of that, and it’s going to be fun to be able to have the crowd behind us and pump them up and show them what I can hopefully do and what we can do as a team, more importantly.
“I’m not going to do this about myself again. This is a team event. I have a brass chest. I took a lot of heat. But that’s fine with me and I understand that I’m at. where I am, and it’s going to be that way in the future. ”
DeChambeau’s media session was his longest since August 4, the day before the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis, where he explained what happened with his COVID-19 diagnosis that kept him from participate in the Olympics.
Since then he has declined all questions except brief questions to television media and an interview with Golf.com, a medium with which he has a sponsorship agreement.
In a recent Golf.com story, DeChambeau said his hands were “destroyed” because he had worked so hard to prepare for the Long Drive Championship, which takes place on Monday. reference was the week before the Northern Trust tournament.
“So when I got blisters on my hands and broke my hands, it was before the FedEx Cup playoffs,” DeChambeau said. “It was this Friday before [Aug. 13] that’s when it happened. The story came out later – because I was talking about it and how much my hands hurt after that from the effort I put into it. I played pretty well in the FedEx Cup qualifiers [a playoff loss to Patrick Cantlay at the BMW Championship]. I just wish my putting and stalling were a bit better.
“Prior to this event, I focused on this event, and I think going a long way is part of why I’m so successful and how I could use my length on this golf course to a potential advantage. ‘ ‘
In practice Tuesday, DeChambeau was in a squad with Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler. While things may change before Friday, Spieth and Thomas went 3-1 as a duet at the 2018 Ryder Cup and are a likely team. This could suggest that DeChambeau could see some time with Scheffler, who is playing his first Ryder Cup.
DeChambeau went 0-3 in his only Ryder Cup appearance, losing twice in a foursome. He went 0-1-1 at the Presidents Cup two years ago.
“The perceptions around [DeChambeau], that’s all the public creates, ”Scheffler said. “I think everyone has an opinion of him. I also have an opinion of him. I think he’s a fantastic guy. I’ve known him since college. He’s always been only courteous and kind. with me, and he really means good.
“I think sometimes people take little bits of what he says and try to beat him a little bit, and I think that’s kind of what happens in sport is that people build themselves up. then get demolished once they reach the top.
“When people are really successful like Bryson, I think some people try to tear him down a bit. A fantastic guy, he has a heart, and I really only have good things to say about him.”
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