Bryson DeChambeau has finally shed light on the real reason he avoided a matchup with Brooks Koepka. This comes after Koepka criticized the 31-year-old for choosing to face Talor Gooch instead of facing him during the semifinals of the LIV Golf Team Championship in Michigan. Many fans had hoped to see the two rivals go head-to-head, but DeChambeau had other plans.
DeChambeau Felt Like Anirban Would Be Great For Koepka
DeChambeau arranged the lineup so that his teammate Anirban Lahiri faced the five-time major champion instead of taking on Koepka directly. The American then matched up against Talor Gooch, who has been one of the most consistent performers in LIV Golf. The move immediately sparked debate, with Koepka questioning DeChambeau and calling him a “strange cat” for not giving fans the battle they wanted to see..
DeChambeau beat Gooch 1 up in the first match in Michigan, while Koepka saw off Anirban Lahiri. DeChambeau’s Crushers GC defeated Brooks Koepka’s Team Smash in the semi-finals of the LIV Team Championship on Saturday, and he has now broken his silence. Speaking after the round, the 31-year-old insisted that his decision was not personal, but purely strategic.
“Talor’s playing some good golf, really good golf, and I felt like Baan would be great for Brooks today,” DeChambeau explained. “Look, I could have gone up against him. Brooks is a great fighter, and I would have loved to have played against him, but I felt like from a matchup perspective Talor was going to be a more difficult force today. He shot 6-under today. I shot 7 and barely scraped by on the last to clip him. He’s a grinder and a fighter, and I know he’s a battler. Hat’s off to Gooch for his play. It’s tough to play against him. He’s a great wedger, a great putter. I was scared all day for sure.“
Bryson on why he didn’t play against Brooks today:
“I felt like from a matchup perspective Talor was going to be a more difficult force today. He shot 6-under today. I shot 7 and barely scraped by on the last to clip him.”
Can’t be any fairer than that
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) August 23, 2025
DeChambeau Insists His Choice Wasn’t Personal
DeChambeau’s explanation appears to suggest that he thought Gooch would be a tougher matchup than Koepka, and this will not go down well with the 35-year-old. However, Gooch, ranked much higher than Lahiri at the time, posed a bigger threat in a head-to-head situation. DeChambeau decided to take that challenge himself, believing it gave Crushers GC the best chance to advance..
The two-time major winner insists his reasons for choosing not to face Koepka weren’t personal, and his choice appears vindicated by the outcome of the semi-finals. DeChambeau edged out Gooch in a tense contest, clinching victory with an 8-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole as Crushers GC advanced to the finals at the expense of Team Smash.
Main Photo Credit: © Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
