ROCHESTER, N.Y. — For the first two rounds, it would have been difficult to pick out any of the LIV golfers in the PGA Championship just by the reaction of the spectators.
Whether it was Phil Mickelson or Cam Smith or Mito Pereira, as far we could tell, each of the 16 golfers in the field who left the PGA Tour were treated the same as those who remain in the good graces of Jay Monahan.
Then it happened.
The most intriguing, polarizing pairing for the third round of the PGA Championship — Brooks Koepka and Byson DeChambeau — didn’t exactly receive a friendly greeting. In fact, both were booed when announced at the first tee, DeChambeau’s reception much louder than Koepka’s, which was more mixed.
Even CBS’ Jim Nantz recognized the fans’ change in attitude saying he had not heard that kind of greeting for LIV golfers the entire week.
LIV has become so polarizing just about everybody has an opinion on the tour that is financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and fans from either side will express that more and more when players from both tours get together at the majors. Add to that the large personalities of these two players, and the reaction was not surprisingly loud.
DeChambeau and Koepka once were involved in a very public feud that took on a life of its own on social media and at one point became the talk of the PGA Tour. It got to the point where both played it up, almost as if attempting to keep it going in the public eye, which only adding to their social media presence.
They even set up a head-to-head match in Las Vegas in 2021 that Koepka won easily.
That played a part in breaking the tension, which really eased when the two joined LIV, giving them a common cause in the league’s dispute with the PGA Tour. Both players were criticized for making anti-LIV statements just months before deciding to take the money and run from the PGA Tour.
Koepka was asked about his rivalry with DeChambeau in February.
“Believe it or not, we squashed it,” he said. “We’re good. I actually talk to him quite frequently because of what’s going on here at LIV. Pretty much on an every-other-day basis. We’ve got a good open line of communication. We’ve figured it all out and we’re good.”
Koepka and DeChambeau were the third-to-last pairing Saturday at Oak Hill Country Club. DeChambeau started the day two shots behind the leaders at 3 under. Koepka was 2 under.