Brooks Koepka: Media overplayed friendship with DJ

Brooks Koepka has doubled-down on his claim that he and Dustin Johnson are not close, saying that the extent of their friendship was overplayed by the media.

Koepka, 30, raised eyebrows ahead of the final round of last week’s US PGA Championship when he aimed a blunt dig at Johnson over his lack of success in the majors.

This came hot on the heels of a Golfweek interview in which he said that he’s “not close” with any other players on tour.

In a follow-up interview with the same publication, posted yesterday, Koepka stopped short of apologising for his remarks about DJ, saying instead that he was sorry if he’d disrespected the other players around him on the leaderboard with anything he said ahead of the final round.

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After opening with a two-over 74 in this week’s Wyndham Championship, the former world No.1 was again asked about his relationship with Johnson and, specifically, whether too much was made of it in the first place.

“I don’t know,” he said. “You guys make your own stories, so I have no idea what you all do, but I think even the Jordan [Spieth] and Justin [Thomas] thing gets blown out too much. You guys overplay a lot of things.”

NEW! IS BROOKS KOEPKA
GETTING TOO BIG FOR HIS BOOTS?

But wait a minute…

Let’s consider comments made by Brooks following the 2018 Ryder Cup, where it was alleged that he and Johnson were involved in some kind of altercation after the match at Le Golf National.

Koepka went straight from Paris to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where he denied the rumours by talking up his friendship with DJ.

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“This Dustin thing, I just don’t get it,” he said. “There was no fight, no argument. He’s one of my best friends. I love the kid to death. We talked on the phone Monday and yesterday, so you tell me how we fought. People like to make a story and run with it. It’s not the first time there’s been a news story that isn’t true that’s gone out.”

The pair also frequently played practice rounds together, including last year’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

From “one of my best friends” to being “not close” with any other player on tour in under two years.

The plot thickens…