PGA Championship Fans Chose Brooks Over Bryson in a Pairing of Old Rivals
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Things could only go up for the former PGA Tour rivals after the first tee. Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, both LIV’ers now, were booed as they were introduced for their opening shots at Oak Hill Country Club on Saturday, with louder jeers following the announcement of the slimmed-down ex-U.S. Open winner and long drive competitor who feels like he can live to 120 years old.
And seemingly, things did get better.
The Donald Ross-designed course welcomed both players in a friendlier manner than the PGA Championship crowds in Round 3, as Koepka and DeChambeau each opened with back-to-back pars in damper-than-ideal conditions.
When DeChambeau lagged his putt on No. 2, there was one sly shout: “That’s good on LIV!” Interestingly enough, Koepka didn’t get the same thing before he tapped in.
The “atta boy, Brooks!” cries were booming in Rochester on Saturday afternoon, and the four-time major champion heard them loud and clear, often glancing up to the crowd in between shots and offering his signature subtle hand raises for audience recognition.
“I love New York. It's always fun. Like I said, you do something really well, they are going to let you know; and if you do something pretty poor, they are going to let you know, and I just love that. I love when the fans are on you, cheering for you, or you know, giving you crap if you screw up. That's the beauty of it. You want that, or at least I want that atmosphere,” Koepka said after the round.
Much of the crowd on Saturday consisted of Bills Mafia poorly disguised in golf rain gear, and that’s probably why many of the Koepka shouts didn’t even include his first or last name.
The name “Blake” echoed left and right as fans referenced an inside joke from the explosively popular podcast Pardon My Take, a Barstool Sports production that has a wide following among football and sports addicts alike.
Koepka was once included as an “honorary” Blake in the podcast’s annual “Blake of the Year” contest. Brooks appeared on the podcast on Wednesday as part of a PGA Championship preview, where he even joked he might try to give the name to his first son.
“That's always a good one,” Brooks said of the Barstool-inspired shouts. “I always like getting that one. No, I didn't hear any good chirps, nothing creative. A lot of it's repetitive, honestly. I'm not trying to dog the fans, but I enjoy when they are creative, when there's something funny that they say.”
The PMT references were accompanied by the classic “Brooksy” shout, of course, which happens to cut a little bit deeper than the golf world might remember from the days of the Bryson vs. Brooks phenomenon.
In June 2021, Koepka offered free beer to his supporters who might have gotten a little too vocal with the chants. Several were kicked out of PGA Tour events at DeChambeau’s request, and the situation eventually escalated to involve PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.
“I think we have a common goal, growth of the game,” DeChambeau said of his relationship with Koepka as of 2023. “We have franchises to focus on now and also good golf to play.”
The pair didn’t talk much throughout the round, other than what seemed to be a few shared laughs at the abysmal weather conditions.
“I'll be honest with you, I don't pay too much attention to who I'm playing with,” Koepka said. “I don't talk a lot.”
DeChambeau, who shot an even-par 72 to Koepka’s 4-under 66, didn’t seem to embrace the on-course chatter as much as Koepka, who will enter Sunday’s round with a solo lead.
“You know what, look, it's New York and I expect it here, I appreciate the fans, them doing that to me. It's like, O.K., cool, no problem. I've got no problem, either way. If we got applause, that's fantastic and if not, you know what, whatever, it is what it is. It was still fun today,” DeChambeau said.
DeChambeau’s first tee boos won’t be forgotten, and the “Broosky” screams might have had more force than the sporadic “Here we go Bryson,” but the eclectic mad scientist of golf had his support out there at Oak Hill. It was just different.
A group of teenage boys let out a resounding “light the candle” after a Koepka tee shot on No. 6. They then pivoted to “Bababooey!” in DeChambeau’s follow-through just moments later.
When asked if there was a method behind the jeering madness (why didn’t Bryson get “light the candle” too?), the pack of eight shook their heads, “No reason.”
The natural next question followed: “So, Brooks or Bryson?”
The resounding answer was the latter LIV golfer. And then it all started to make sense. Koepka might have the Stoolies, but DeChambeau has Gen Z, the YouTube generation.
The 29-year-old has an active YouTube channel with almost 350,000 subscribers and a group of TikTok stars that travel with him, capturing content almost everywhere. Unfortunately for DeChambeau, that fanbase just doesn’t seem to be as vocal—yet.
Just give them a few more years to turn 21. They’ll get the hang of it.