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Jim Harbaugh defends PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka following analyst’s criticism
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Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has faced his fair share of criticism throughout his career, both as a player and as a coach. It’s just something that comes with the territory when you’re a major sports figure.
But there’s one thing that crosses the line when it comes to criticism that Harbaugh can’t stand: question an individual’s toughness.
Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee criticized Brooks Koepka this weekend, saying he wasn’t sure if he was as mentally tough as some of the other golfers participating in the PGA Championship. Koepka, of course, hushed that critiqued after winning the event for a second-straight year.
But Koepka’s win didn’t keep Harbaugh from slamming Chamblee for his comments. The Michigan head coach fired off a tweet on Monday, bashing Chamblee for his criticism of Koepka.
Crossing the line to question a man’s toughness. Especially when questioner @chambleebrandel has been cut in 4/4 PGA championship appearances while questioning man @BKoepka who had won PGA championship, now back to back & 4 out of last 8 majors. 💪 #koepka
— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) May 20, 2019
After Chamblee caught plenty of flack for his comments, he sent out a tweet of his own to clarify the message.
I never said he wasn’t tough. Perhaps he bought into the headlines. Easy to do. What I said was, I wasn’t going to agree that he was mentally the toughest player on tour until he proved that he could win on a more challenging course off the tee, which he just did. Great to see. https://t.co/8NuTh0rnLt
— Brandel Chamblee (@chambleebrandel) May 20, 2019
After winning the tournament, Koepka said the comments from Chamblee “pissed me off” and that he used the criticism as fuel throughout the tournament.
It worked out pretty well for him.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB