SAN DIEGO – The pairing that everyone wanted won’t happen this week at the U.S. Open, but there is still plenty of interest in seeing a Bryson DeChambeau-Brooks Koepka showdown.

According to reports, the USGA toyed with the idea of pairing the two, along with fellow U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland, for Rounds 1 and 2 but ultimately scrapped the idea. Koepka and DeChambeau were both tied at even par through two rounds but missed each other by two groups and they’re now separated by three shots after DeChambeau moved into the hunt with a third-round 68.

“I'm excited that one day we can eventually get paired up and play together. It would be fun,” said DeChambeau, who has played with Koepka three times on the PGA Tour in his career with the last time coming at the 2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

DeChambeau also admitted that crowds calling him “Brooksie” during rounds was a little off-putting at first, but he’s come to embrace it.

“People think that it annoys me. If anything, it just creates a great atmosphere for golf,” he said. “At first I didn't really know how to handle it. You're kind of thrown into a situation. But now I enjoy it. You've got to embrace it. There's going to be Team Bryson, Team Brooks out there, and hey, keep it up, I'm happy about it.”

He should also be happy about his position. DeChambeau has a chance to successfully defend his title, just as Koepka did in 2018. DeChambeau is tied for third place and two shots off the lead while Koepka is tied for 15^th place at even par after a third-round 71.