Brooks Koepka reveals biggest career slight: ‘That really pissed me off’

Newly-minted four-time major champion Brooks Koepka and Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee have made headlines recently for a war of words regarding Chamblee’s assertion on a podcast earlier this month that there are only two players who can challenge Tiger Woods as the best player in the world: Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy. Koepka, who became the No. 1-ranked player in the world on Sunday, was notably omitted from his list.

As word of the slight got around, Kopeka responded by tweeting a photo of Chamblee with a clown nose photoshopped onto his face. The feud continued into PGA Championship week, when Chamblee said Koepka’s opening-round 63 “felt like he was giving me the finger.”

Koepka has made a name for himself as a player who competes with a chip on his shoulder, and in the wake of his historic victory at Bethpage Black, he was asked what he perceived as the biggest slight of his career.

Interestingly, he didn’t cite the most recent spat with Chamblee. “Telling me I wasn’t tough,” he said. “That pissed me off. That really pissed me off.”

However, the incident it sounds like he’s referring to also involved comments made by Chamblee. After the first round of the Masters last month, (Kopeka shot 66 on Thursday), Chamblee expressed his doubts about Koepka’s staying power.

“His talent is undeniable,” Chamblee said. “But I’ve heard people say this. You extrapolate from accomplishment, you infer qualities from a human being like, ‘He’s really tough.’ Maybe he is, I don’t know. I got to say, I still need to be convinced.”

Kopeka responded after finishing his second round at the Masters, a 71, on Friday. “I know some people don’t think I’m mentally tough, or tough in general, but I think I am,” he said. “I think I’ve proven that with three trophies. I feel like no matter how things are going, whether they are going really well or really poorly out there, I can grind it out, and especially during a major.”

Any lingering doubts about Koepka’s abilities are surely put to rest at this point. He’s now won six career events — four of which are major championships.

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