Golf world reacts to Open rival's 'petty' Bryson Dechambeau sledge

Brooks Koepka has fired the latest shot at Bryson DeChambeau in an ugly feud that has captured the imagination of the golfing world.

DeChambeau came under fire for "stupid" comments after blaming his club manufacturer for a disappointing opening round at the British Open.

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The huge-hitting American was then booed by the Open crowd at Royal St George's in the second round when he opted to hit his tee shot at the first hole of his second round with an iron rather than a driver.

DeChambeau apologised for what he described as "very unprofessional" comments he made about his Cobra driver after a wayward opening 71.

"If I can hit it down the middle of the fairway, that's great, but with the driver right now, the driver sucks," DeChambeau said.

"It's not a good face for me and we're still trying to figure out how to make it good on the mis-hits."

The American's comments drew an angry response from the golf club manufacturer, with DeChambeau likened to an eight-year-old brat.

"Everybody is bending over backwards," Cobra's tour operations manager Ben Schomin said.

"It's just really, really painful when he says something that stupid.

Discussing his own thoughts after the second round, Koepka couldn't resist the chance to have a dig at his fierce rival with a comment clearly referencing DeChambeau's driving woes.

"Drove the ball great. Love my driver," Koepka said before pausing momentarily to let the world catch up to what he was saying.

The sly dig at DeChambeau left Spiranac and many other golf fans amused at the latest chapter in the sport's pettiest feud.

Oosthuizen sets record to lead at halfway

Both Koepka (5-under) and DeChambeau (one-over) have a mountain to climb if they're to catch leader Louis Oosthuizen, after a record-breaking first 36 holes from the South African.

Oosthuizen will have his British Open pursuers quaking after another supreme round at Royal St George's left him halfway towards a wire-to-wire triumph that carries whiffs of his imperious 2010 victory.

At St Andrews 11 years ago, the South African led for the final three rounds to run away with a seven-shot victory and he looks in the mood to offer something even more striking in the 149th edition as he followed up his overnight-leading 64 with a five-under 65 on Friday.

His 11-under-par total gives him a two-shot lead going into the penultimate round after the 38-year-old recorded the lowest halfway total in Open history at Royal St George's.

He fired an eagle and four birdies, with his two-round total of 129 eclipsing the 130 set by Nick Faldo in 1992 and Brandt Snedeker in 2012, yet this most unfussy of characters made it all sound quite workaday.

"Yeah, played really solid today and in good position for the weekend," he shrugged in typically understated fashion after a performance of sheer class.

If he'd parred the short 16th instead of the one bogey blemish in his round, Oosthuizen would have matched the lowest halfway total at any major - Brooks Koepka's 128 at the 2019 US PGA.

"To have any record at the Open or part of any record at the Open is always very special," Oosthuizen conceded.

"I think I've played really good the last two days. Today we got really lucky over the last nine holes. It was as good a weather as you can get playing this golf course."

Last year's US PGA champion Collin Morikawa, on his Open debut, shot a dazzling 64 to lie just a couple of shots adrift while another former British Open winner Jordan Spieth is a stroke further back at eight under.

with agencies