‘I was wrong’ Brooks Koepka makes Bryson DeChambeau U-turn

We thought the day would never come, but Brooks Koepka might actually like Bryson DeChambeau.

Long gone are the days of six-pack digs and spikes crackling on the pavement, because the LIV pair now – finally – see eye to eye.

On Tuesday, the former foes spoke to the media ahead of next week’s ‘Showdown’ and as they discussed their relationship, DeChambeau led the way.

“I’ve always had respect for Brooks and what he’s done, and how many majors he’s won,” DeChambeau said.

“It’s been quite impressive, and even the tour events he’s won. Obviously, early on, we didn’t really understand each other. [It was a] pretty rocky relationship.”

It all roots back to the Dubai Desert Classic in 2019, when Koepka called out DeChambeau for slow play.

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The cracks were only papered over in the following months as DeChambeau poked fun at Koepka’s abs in January 2020.

Of course, it provoked that tweet from Koepka.

Then there were fire ants, being ‘scientific’, SpikesGate, The Match and well, we’ll let you fill in the rest, but the LIV connection has seemingly brought pace.

“We had our spats,” DeChambeau said. “But we realised when we both went to LIV, we had quite a few things in common.

“Kind of like stepbrothers in a sense and we’ve developed a pretty solid relationship and have good respect for each other now.”

So, what did Koepka have to say? Surprisingly, the five-time major champion didn’t just agree but said he deserved some of the blame.

“Obviously we’ve come a long way,” Koepka said. “Going to LIV, honestly, I think that was a big moment, even just for us, right?

“We were communicating a lot more and our conversation became a lot more open. From there, I’m the first person to admit I can be a bit stubborn.

“Look, we all get older, we all mature a little bit, and then you realise, hey, Bryson’s a good dude.

“I think he’s severely misunderstood and I think the world is actually starting to really see who Bryson DeChambeau is, which is cool.

“I’m the first person to admit it, I was wrong with what my original thoughts were.”

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The praise didn’t end there, either.

When speaking about the grudge match – that will pit the pair together against Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler – Koepka backed his partner.

“I truly think you’ve got the biggest figure in golf in Bryson and then one of the (golfers with the) most majors,” he said.

“We’ve got a lot going on our side. We want to beat them; we want to showcase the world we’re the top two dogs.”

The match will be live on TNT on December 17, but it might not be the last time they tee it up together in the near future.

A win could see Koepka make his debut on DeChambeau’s YouTube channel.

“I’ve asked him to get on my ‘Break 50’ series for months now,” DeChambeau said.

“I’ll make that determination if we win [The Showdown],” Koepka replied.