Brooks Koepka has defended his war of words with Bryson DeChambeau, and doesn't feel it will impact on the US Ryder Cup team.
The American golfers have been engaged in a public war of words, which continued at last week's Memorial Tournament.
Koepka wasn't playing, but offered a free case of beer to any fan whose time at the tournament was "cut short". He was referencing those who were escorted from Muirfield Village on day 2, for shouts of "Brooksie" in the direction of DeChambeau.
Capping off a long day with @MichelobULTRA! Thanks for all the support today. Also, we’ve got something for you… pic.twitter.com/kwtwXg3Kqb
— Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) June 4, 2021
The feud became public last month when an unaired interview between Koepka and the Golf Channel at the PGA Championship was made public. In the video, Koepka loses his train of thought and becomes visibly annoyed by DeChambeau's presence behind him.
Ahead of this week's Palmetto Championship at Congaree, Koepka was asked if he had any regrets about the video being brought into the public domain.
"It doesn't bother me, I'm OK with anything I do," the world no.8 replied, "I don't really live with regrets.
"It's nothing I'm terribly upset about... It is what it is and I'll move on.
Explaining the incident in more depth, Koepka revealed, "He didn't say anything to me.
"He wasn't speaking to me. He was - I guess - either... he'd signed his scorecard or wherever he was, and I was just to the right of the media tent, right in front of the microphones I guess where you guys [media] all were.
"I don't want to say he was like screaming, he was saying something about how he hit a perfect shot and it shouldn't have been there and it was just very very loud.
"I don't think the mics picked up on that, but it felt like it was just so the fans could hear.
"With the media right there you kind of know 'hey look, we're all kind of in this area, just tone it down', and it was just so loud.
"And then I think he realised that he had gotten right behind me and he toned it down a little bit, but it was still... and I just lost train of thought. Which, I think, was pretty obvious.
The pair are likely to be in Steve Stricker's Ryder Cup squad when Whistling Straits rolls around in September, but Koepka doesn't feel the beef will impact on the team's performance in Wisconsin.
"I don't see why it would," said the Florida native.
"I mean, there's only eight guys that are playing, you know four guys are sitting whatever. I play with one other guy.
"So let's say I don't play with Bryson, or Bryson doesn't play with me, he takes care of his match and I'll take care of my match and I don't know how that has any effect."
"I think a good jesting rivalry is good for the game of golf, nothing too extreme," DeChambeau said this week of the rivalry.
🎙 @BKoepka talks to the media ahead of his first start since the PGA Championship. https://t.co/h3Gl28wqI4
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 9, 2021
It's a sentiment echoed by Koepka, who claims not to have been wrapped on the knuckles just yet by the PGA Tour.
"I think it's good for the game," the 31-year old said, "I really do.
"The fact that golf's on pretty much every news outlet for about two weeks, pretty consistently, I think that's a good thing - it's growing the game.
"I get the traditionalists who don't agree with it, I understand that, but I think to grow the game you've got to reach out to the younger generation.
"I don't want to say 'that's what this is', but it's reaching out to a whole bunch of people. It's getting golf in front of people and I think it's good for the game."
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