Why Bryson Vs Brooks Is The Rivalry Golf Needs

The pair clearly don't get on, but that doesn't matter...

Why Bryson Vs Brooks Is The Rivalry Golf Needs

Brooks Koepka made a name for himself off of the course in 2019 with his controversial comments on the game and his fellow competitors.

Whether it was calling out Bryson DeChambeau and JB Holmes' slow play, saying McIlroy isn't a rival of his or telling media that he has less than 35 players to beat during a Major, the four-time Major winning American was, and still is, gold dust for the media.

I remember being at his press conference at the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush and it was a must-attend, only behind Tiger and Rory.

That was just a year after probably a lot of media [me included] decided to skip his presser at Carnoustie despite him winning the US Open just a month prior.

Koepka was giving us stories week-after-week back in 2019, especially with his opinion on Bryson DeChambeau's slow play.

The pair had some back-and-forth comments and eventually seemed to make up, although they clearly still have some tension as seen by the viral video that emerged after the PGA Championship.

Koepka looked angry and used a flurry of swear words after Bryson walked behind him during an interview, and we're not sure if Bryson made comments directed to Brooks or was annoying him for wearing spikes.

Either way, Koepka wasn't happy and for us as fans, it was a hilarious clip and it is no surprise just how viral it has gone.

At the time of writing, the video has had over six million views on Twitter alone and has created astronomical engagements.

I can only imagine how many times it has been shared through Whatsapp groups and the discussions it has prompted between golfing and sporting friends.

Even many non-sports fans will have watched it with intrigue.

The Bryson vs Brooks rivalry is just what golf needs.

Two polar opposites, a jock vs a boffin, who are each more gifted than 99.99% of golfers out there.

In this digital age with content in every corner you look, controversy and character like this from the golf world will help enormously in engaging viewers.

Us hardcore fans will tune in every week, but if casual fans begin to learn a bit more about the golfers then they will surely start following the sport with at least some interest.

The PGA Tour may not like its players to be swearing at other plays in the public domain as seen in the video, but the clip has shown an awful lot of people the characters of Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau that you don't tend to see on-course or through a sponsored Tweet.

Some may not like the character shown by Brooks, whereas some will absolutely love it - we've seen both sets of comments - but any opinion is better than no opinion.

The key to great sporting storylines, excitement and action is rivalries.

We're seeing it at the moment in F1 with Hamilton vs Verstappen and we've seen it for years in other sports like tennis with Nadal, Djokovic and Federer, now in boxing with AJ and Fury (until last week at least) and football has some incredible rivalries.

Golf is best when it's Europe vs USA but on a week-to-week level it doesn't have the rivalries that other sports can boast.

We've had Nicklaus vs Palmer in years gone by as well as Tiger and Phil, but we've never really had a heated rivalry where the players are slamming each other in front of a camera.

There's potential for that with Bryson vs Brooks, who, as mentioned above, are both incredible golfers.

I for one can't wait to hear their next press conference, or read their next Tweet if it is related to this.

Rivalries draw in the viewer and when it's Bryson vs Brooks in the final group of a Major, every man and their dog will be tuning in.