Brandel Chamblee Gets Into Awkward Standoff With Brad Faxon About Brooks Koepka Potentially Making Ryder Cup Team

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Brooks Koepka winning what was his third PGA Championship at Oak Hill not only killed the narrative that LIV golfers aren't equipped to compete on the game's biggest stages, but it also created the reality that he could earn a spot on this year's U.S. Ryder Cup team.

Brandel Chamblee, who has without question been LIV Golf's most consistent critic in mainstream golf media, doesn't necessarily want to see that happen. The Golf Channel analyst made that clear, in a very awkward way, during a heated exchange with Brad Faxon during Sunday's edition of 'Live From The PGA Championship.'

READ: BROOKS KOEPKA KILLS MULTIPLE NARRATIVES, CREATES ANOTHER WITH HIS THIRD PGA CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY

Faxon makes the very clear and truthful point that the Ryder Cup has nothing to do with money, and Koepka is still every bit of an American despite leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf. His comment seemed to get the best of Chamblee, as all he could do was repeat Faxon's "they're playing for their country" during the segment.

Brandel Chamblee Consistent With His LIV Golf Bashing

To be fair to Chamblee, he has not changed his stance about LIV Golf since day one. He believes the Saudi-backed circuit is nothing but a sports washing operation and has been critical of the fact that the league is entirely funded by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.

While Chamblee's opinions about Saudi Arabia's deplorable human rights record are accurate, it can't be lost that not only is he a former PGA Tour player, but his livelihood also depends on the success of the Tour.

One could argue that Chamblee is the spearhead among the media continually drumming up this feud between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf as players from both sides have said the rivalry is only being fabricated in media circles. Chamblee trying to pin the Ryder Cup as some anti-LIV event is just the latest example of that.

Chamblee can continue to go to bat for the PGA Tour and bash LIV Golf, but the reality is that the PGA of America has confirmed that LIV golfers are eligible to compete for the United States at the Ryder Cup later this year.

Koepka, along with the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson, still maintains their PGA of America membership. Seeing as how Koepka just won the PGA Championship after finishing T-2 at the Masters, he's certainly made a case to be selected.

Not only that, but unless he struggles at the U.S. Open and Open he could very well qualify on points alone, which at that point U.S. captain Zach Johnson will be left with no choice other than to bring him to Rome.

Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.