Brooks Koepka danced. Darian also danced. Justin Bieber’s catchy Baby was playing.
They sang too.
“Baby, baby, baby, oh.”
They hugged.
Really?
Koepka? The seemingly merciless conqueror of majors? Who once boasted that golf’s biggest tournaments were the easiest to win because mostly everyone beside him would wilt? Koepka? Who’s gotten into beefs with Brandel Chamblee? And Bryson DeChambeau? That Koepka?
Of course, we’ve seen and heard some hints before. Like ahead of the Masters, from his wife, Jena Sims. She talked with GOLF’s Claire Rogers, who noted that Koepka’s appearance on the Netflix show Full Swing showed off a more vulnerable side to him.
“He really is a vulnerable person,” Sims told Rogers.
“Like, he’s emotionally intelligent. I think that the world kind of views him as this tough guy with a chip on his shoulder, and Netflix really opened up his heart.”
Then there was a moment at the Masters itself. Koepka had just finished as runner-up to winner Jon Rahm. He had shot a disappointing three-over 75 in his final round at Augusta National. But as he marched off 18, he spotted a kid along the ropes and tossed him his ball. It happens hundreds of times at tournaments. But in that moment?
“Yeah, even during the struggles,” the boy’s dad said, “just remembering the kids are the future of the game, trying to get them hooked early.”
Then there was Friday night.
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Sims was a co-chair for the Best Buddies Palm Beach Champion of the Year gala. She did so last year, too. The event honors fundraisers for Best Buddies, and Best Buddies is great. The group, according to its website, “creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
Along the way, Koepka had met Darian.
And yeah, they snapped a picture together on Friday.
And they danced.
And they sang.
And they hugged.
Have a look. We’ll wait. We’ll describe it below.
The video was taken from Koepka’s Instagram stories, and it was one of four stories he posted from the event. In the first, Koepka and Sims are standing with Darian. In the second, Koepka is hugging Darian, whom he calls “my guy.” In the third, Koepka and Darian hug. In the fourth and final shot, Bieber plays.
All that from Koepka?
Really.
