Turner bets feud between PGA’s DeChambeau and Koepka will lure

Following a day that families will spend trying to steer clear of politics and avoid fights, Turner Sports is counting on conflict and drama to lure viewers to its Black Friday golf showcase.

Turner’s network TNT is airing the fifth installment of The Match 5 on Nov. 26, a head-to-head game between PGA Tour golfers Bryson DeChambeau, 28, and Brooks Koepka, 31, who have emerged as heated rivals in the past couple years. The event starts at 4 p.m. Eastern time.

The made-for-TV golf game began in 2018, when Tiger Woods teed off against Phil Mickelson. The two PGA icons helped Turner Sports, which is owned by AT&T’s WarnerMedia, draw the highest-viewed golf game in cable history last year, in the midst of a pandemic and extended pause in live sports. This year, there will be plenty of fans on the course as well as at home.

In TNT’s 30-second promotional video, each golfer hypes up the match with Queen’s “You’re my best friend” playing in the background. In one clip, DeChambeau is taking a practice swing and Koepka’s head becomes the ball. After blasting the shot, DeChambeau says, “I’m coming for you, Brooks.”

At the end of commercial, DeChambeau says, “Friendsgiving is going to be just a little bit different this year.”

“They know what’s going on, and there is a rivalry there,” said Craig Barry, Turner Sports’ executive vice president and chief content officer, admitting that he laughed when he saw the video. “I think they’ve leaned into the idea of having some fun with this.”

The event resembles a championship boxing match. It’s set in Las Vegas at the Wynn Golf Club, which typically charges $550 per person, and features a12-hole match, instead of the normal18 holes. The golfer who wins the most holes wins the exhibition.

On the PGA Tour, and excluding international competition, DeChambeau and Koepka are tied for career wins with eight. Koepka is ahead in total earnings, at $36.7 million to roughly $26 million for DeChambeau.

Their feud began in 2019 in a dispute involving the pace of play, and Koepka’s criticism that golfers like DeChambeau take too much time between shots. Things got more heated at the PGA Championship in May, during a Koepka interview that went viral on Twitter.

With the camera rolling, DeChambeau walked near Koepka and appeared to say something under his breath. Koepka was distracted and gave a dramatic eyeroll on camera, grabbing the sports world’s attention.

Barry expects the tension to spark competitive play for viewers to soak up the day after Thanksgiving. 

“What kind of gets lost is who is…