The truth wasn’t as embarrassing as the video appeared to be.
PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh explained his interaction with Brooks Koepka, which seemed to leave the newly crowned PGA Champion confused.
However, Waugh said it was just a joke shared between two old friends.
“I literally said to him, ‘I think they have four million pictures of me.’ They must have 24 million photos of you. I’ve never seen one of them before and don’t know if you’ve seen it before.” Waugh told Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis.
“We cracked, laughed and turned around and smiled at each other. That was it. Someone chose to think this was offending and I didn’t shake their hand. I’ve already spoken to him five times since he won. I definitely shook his hand and told him how proud I was of him.”
Kupka won his third PGA Championship on Sunday at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York, defeating Victor Hovland and Scotty Scheffler with a two-shot victory.
It was his fifth major win overall and he became the first golfer to win a major event.
As part of the post-tour festivities, take pictures with PGA executives and other key figures in the sport with the Wanamaker Trophy.
Waugh and Koepka’s snippet was part of Golf Channel’s post-tour coverage and led some online to suggest that they were less than friendly.
Waugh had also made some critical comments to the Times of London prior to the event, questioning the future of LIV Golf, adding more fuel to the fire as Koepka is one of the biggest names to defect from the Rebel Tour.
Waugh said, though, that he’s known Koepka since he was in eighth grade and “couldn’t be happier” for him.
“It couldn’t be more ridiculous or further from the truth, and everyone is trying to turn it into this LIV thing that has nothing to do with it,” Waugh said.
Koepka goes on an epic party tour: He whips out Wanamaker Trophy beers, then attends Panthers and Heat games near his home in Florida.
Koepka, who is playing at the LIV event in Washington, D.C., this week, did not comment on the exchange.
