'Bryson’s A Good Dude' - Brooks Koepka Admits He Was Wrong About Rival DeChambeau

From one time enemies in a high-profile fued to now teammates playing for the honor of LIV Golf - Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau have now firmly put the past behind them.

So much so that Koepka, despite admitting to being "a bit stubborn", says he was wrong in his original criticism of his old sparring partner.

The two are representing LIV Golf in The Crypto.com Showdown in Las Vegas next week against the PGA Tour's Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, with seemingly any ill feeling all water under the bridge.

Following some initial tension, the video of Koepka rolling his eyes as DeChambeau walked behind him during an interview at the 2021 PGA Championship really saw their rivalry take off.

The pair hugged it out after winning the Ryder Cup together at Whistling Straits before appearing in their own edition of 'The Match' aimed at cashing in on the rivalry.

Just how serious the feud was is up for debate, but Koepka has admitted that any initial negative opinions he had of DeChambeau were wrong.

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

"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.”

Koepka added that having more interaction with DeChambeau when they both joined LIV Golf helped them to repair their relationship.

"Obviously we've come a long way," Koepka added on a conference call to promote The Showdown. "Going to LIV, honestly, I think that was a big moment, even just for us, right?

"We were forced - well, I don't want to say forced, but we were communicating a lot more, our conversation became a lot more open. From there, I'm the first person to admit I can be a bit stubborn."

It's a sentiment echoed by DeChambeau, who won his second Major at this year's US Open and has seen his profile raised immeasurably via social media since joining LIV.

"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. Pretty rocky relationship.

“We had our spats. But we realized 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.”

That relationship will be put to the test at Shadow Creek at The Showdown, with McIlroy and Scheffler the betting favourites to win for the PGA Tour.