The latest twist in the dispute between Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka has been delivered by the head of the PGA Tour. Jay Monahan has said spectators bawling Koepka’s name at DeChambeau during tournaments will be ejected, on grounds of harassment.
DeChambeau and Koepka have traded public blows for most of this year. On Sunday, immediately after he fell short at the BMW Championship, a fan shouted “Brooksie” in DeChambeau’s face; much to the Californian’s obvious disgust. Immediately before the season‑ending Tour Championship in Atlanta, Monahan directly raised the issue of gallery conduct. The PGA Tour has been updating its fan code of conduct policy.
“By coming to a PGA Tour event, you’re expected to contribute to a welcoming and safe environment by refraining from and reporting any unsafe, disruptive, or harassing behaviour,” Monahan said. “Comments or gestures that undermine the inclusive and welcoming nature of the game will not be tolerated, nor will any harassment of players, caddies, volunteers, officials, staff, or other spectators. Fans who breach our code of conduct are subject to expulsion from the tournament and loss of their credential or ticket.”
Pressed on whether “Brooksie” would constitute a violation worthy of removal, Monahan said: “Yes. The reason I say yes is, the barometer that we are all using is the word ‘respect’ and to me, when you hear ‘Brooksie’ yelled or you hear any expression yelled, the question is, is that respectful or disrespectful? That has been going on for an extended period of time. To me, at this point, it’s disrespectful, and that’s kind of behaviour that we’re not going to tolerate going forward.”
Monahan said he had held conversations with both DeChambeau and Koepka in recent times.
The PGA Tour has also, unsurprisingly, confirmed the cancellation of the World Golf Championship scheduled for Shanghai later this year. “Although it’s unfortunate to have to do so, we must ensure that we abide by the epidemic prevention policies of different markets which may cause inconvenience to the players and make tournament operations very challenging,” Monahan said.
Patrick Reed plans to feature this weekend at the Tour Championship, and therefore keep alive his hopes of featuring in the Ryder Cup, despite his recent admission to hospital for bilateral pneumonia. “Excited to get back out there and give it my best shot,” Reed said.