By Kevin Rademeyer, Sports Journalist.
Photo Credit: LIV Golf.
Brooks Koepka may have suggested that few people want to talk to Bryson DeChambeau, but the reception the American received in South Africa tells a rather different story.
Earlier this year at Steyn City, DeChambeau found himself embraced by a crowd that had come to see more than a golfer capable of launching a ball extraordinary distances.
They had come to see a showman, a major champion and a player who has developed a genuine connection with South African golf fans.
His visit for the 2026 LIV Golf South Africa tournament produced one of the most memorable moments of the domestic sporting calendar.
DeChambeau won the individual title and helped his Crushers team secure the team trophy, completing a remarkable double in dramatic fashion. In rain affected conditions, he defeated Jon Rahm in a play- off, giving the home crowd the sort of finish that makes a golf tournament difficult to forget.
The cheers that followed were a measure of his popularity. South African fans had taken to DeChambeau, whose combination of power, personality and unconventional approach has made him one of the most recognisable figures in modern golf.
It is a striking contrast to the public image that once surrounded him. For years, DeChambeau was at the centre of one of golf’s most entertaining rivalries, with Koepka.
What began with pointed remarks about slow play developed into a feud that became a regular feature of golf’s media coverage between 2019 and 2021.
Koepka had voiced frustration about the pace of play on tour, comments that DeChambeau took personally. T
he exchanges became more personal when DeChambeau questioned Koepka’s physique during a video game stream. Koepka responded with a photograph of his major championship trophies, accompanied by the line: “You were right @b_dechambeau I am 2 short of a 6 pack!”
The rivalry reached its most recognisable moment at the 2021 PGA Championship. An interview clip showed Koepka losing his train of thought as DeChambeau walked past in metal spikes. His reaction, an unmistakable eye roll, quickly went viral.
Spectators soon began shouting “Brooksie” at DeChambeau during tournaments, turning the feud into a travelling sideshow.
There was even a moment of reconciliation. The pair represented the United States together at the 2021 Ryder Cup, where a dominant American victory helped ease tensions. Their televised embrace afterwards provided a fitting image of a rivalry that had become bigger than either player could control.
They later faced each other in The Match in Las Vegas, where Koepka won 4 and 3.
Their move to LIV Golf in 2022 changed the landscape. The two became teammates within the same wider circuit, and the hostility gradually gave way to mutual respect.
DeChambeau congratulated Koepka after his 2023 PGA Championship victory, while Koepka praised DeChambeau following his dramatic US Open triumph at Pinehurst in 2024.
Yet the competitive edge remains. Golfers at this level rarely lose the desire to beat one another, even when the public feud has faded. Koepka recently demonstrated that the old banter is not entirely gone when he was asked about DeChambeau’s frustration at being ignored by Rory McIlroy during the final round of the 2025 Masters.
McIlroy had been pursuing a historic career Grand Slam and was not interested in making conversation with his playing partner. DeChambeau later said McIlroy had not spoken to him throughout the day. Koepka backed McIlroy’s approach, saying he would not have spoken to him either and adding that DeChambeau “lives in his own world”.
It was a sharp remark, but the relationship between the two former rivals has moved well beyond the days when every exchange became a headline. Their history remains part of golf’s modern entertainment, even as both have established themselves as major champions in their own right.
For South African fans, however, DeChambeau’s appeal is less about the old feud and more about what he brings to the course.
His scientific approach, his willingness to experiment with equipment and technique, and his extraordinary power off the tee make him a compelling figure to watch. At Steyn City, those qualities were on full display, particularly in the demanding high altitude conditions.
His victory in the rain, sealed against Rahm in a play off, gave the tournament a defining moment. It also strengthened the connection between DeChambeau and a South African audience that had welcomed him warmly.
That relationship could attract further attention when the Nedbank Golf Challenge returns to Gary Player Country Club in December.
Known as Africa’s Major, the tournament has a long history and a demanding course that rewards both distance and precision. DeChambeau’s larger than life personality will make him an intriguing competitor, and bring thousands of people to the North West Province.
Koepka may have his reservations about DeChambeau’s personality, and the rivalry between the two will always provide material for golf’s endless conversation. But in South Africa, the response was clear. The fans embraced Bryson, celebrated his victory and showed that, whatever his reputation elsewhere, he has found an audience here that is very much on his side.