Brooks Koepka Critiques Bryson DeChambeau’s Match Play Strategy

Plymouth, Mich. — Brooks Koepka voiced his confusion over Bryson DeChambeau’s decision to avoid a direct matchup during the LIV Golf Team Championship semifinals on Saturday. The two golfers have a long-standing rivalry that reignited after their teams faced off in the tournament.

During the semifinals at the Cardinal at St. John’s, both DeChambeau’s Crushers GC and Koepka’s Smash GC won their first-round matchups. However, DeChambeau opted not to play against Koepka, whom many fans expected to face head-to-head. Instead, he chose to put teammate Anirban Lahiri against Koepka and took on Talor Gooch himself.

“I don’t know what the thinking was behind that,” Koepka said. “I’d probably say the people would want to see that. I don’t know what he is afraid of. He beats to his own drum. He’s a strange cat.”

This rivalry has evolved since its beginnings in 2019 when the two players clashed over DeChambeau’s slow pace of play. Their relationship had since cooled when both players joined LIV Golf in 2022 and began communicating more openly.

“We’ve come a long way,” Koepka remarked in December about their relationship. “I’m the first person to admit I can be a bit stubborn. We all get older, and you realize, hey, Bryson’s a good dude.”

Despite their newfound camaraderie, DeChambeau’s decision not to face Koepka raised eyebrows. Upon defeating Gooch 1 up later, he explained, “I felt like Talor was going to be a more difficult force today.”

The Crushers GC and Stinger GC will compete for the 2025 LIV Michigan Team Championship title in the finals on Sunday. Only the top teams will vie for victory, while others will play for final standings.