U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk confirmed that American team members Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka got into a brief fight during the Ryder Cup in France, but he downplayed how big of a deal it really was.
“Whatever altercation started, or what happened, it was very brief. It was very short,” Furyk said in a sit-down with Golf Channel. “Neither one of them really took anything out of it. They’re like brothers. Brothers may argue, brothers get into it. But they’re as close as they’ve ever been, and it really had no effect on either one of them.”
After Europe soundly defeated the States in the Ryder Cup 17½ to 10½, reports emerged that Johnson, the No. 1 ranked player in the world, and Koepka, who has won three majors in the last two years, nearly came to blows at Le Golf National and had to be separated.
Koepka later denied it happened, but Furyk contradicted him by admitting it took place.
Furyk also said that Patrick Reed knew all along he would be paired with Tiger Woods during the Ryder Cup. After the U.S. defeat, Reed told The New York Times he felt blindsided by not being paired with Jordan Spieth, with whom he played the previous two Cups.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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