Captain Keegan Bradley is happy to have a not-so-secret weapon on the US Ryder Cup squad with big-hitting LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau.
“I think Bryson, just his golfing ability alone, is an X factor for our team,” Bradley said at Bethpage Black. “But also, he’s a really fiery player. When you come to a Ryder Cup, you don’t want guys to try to be something they’re not.
“We have a lot of calm, mellow guys, so we need the energy from Bryson, and he brings that every day in practice rounds, in the team room and hopefully in the tournament competition, too.”
DeChambeau, a two-time US Open champion, left the PGA Tour in 2022 and did not make the Ryder Cup squad in 2023 that lost to Europe in Italy.
He automatically qualified for Keegan’s team this time, thanks to his strong efforts at the Majors — tying for fifth at the Masters, second at the PGA Championship and 10th at the Open Championship.
DeChambeau, 32, played for the US in the 2018 and 2021 Ryder Cup, compiling an overall record of 2-3-1. He was paired with Scottie Scheffler at Whistling Straits in 2021. Scheffler said DeChambeau was nothing short of a “great partner”.
“He brings a lot of energy. The people love him,” Scheffler said. “I’m excited to unleash him this week.”
Bradley praised DeChambeau for going out of his way to spend as much time as possible with his US teammates in preparation for this week’s competition.
“This is a tough thing for him, to come into guys that he doesn’t see every day, full of PGA Tour players, but he’s done an exceptional job of making the extra effort, flying to Napa, flying to Atlanta, doing things that are really difficult with the schedule he has,” Bradley said. “He’s made every effort possible and been incredible in the team room.”
Teammates have universally hailed DeChambeau for going above and beyond to forward team chemistry.
“I think what people don’t realise, he’s made a huge effort being a part of this team, flying to team dinners, showing up weeks that he’s playing on the LIV to where we are on the PGA Tour just to be a part of that team,” JJ Spaun said. “Given his personality and his brand, he’s great with the fans. I think that’s going to be a huge attribute to the team this week.”
Another potential X factor that could provide inspiration for the American players is the presence of US president Donald Trump. Bradley said having the commander-in-chief on the course would not be a distraction.
“No, definitely not. I’m deeply honoured that the president of the US is going to come support our team at the Ryder Cup,” he said. “I think any time you can be around a current president is a pretty phenomenal thing, but when you’re representing your country at a place like Bethpage Black in New York, having the president there to support you is something that is just absolutely incredible. I’m really grateful to him for doing that for us.”
Bradley said there were not any current plans for the team to meet Trump.
“Yeah, I think President Trump is a pretty busy guy,” he said. “I’m just thrilled he’s going to be here. I really look forward to what that first tee is going to be like with the president on the tee.
“I think this first tee at Bethpage is going to be a sporting event to remember across any sport, and then you add on the president of the US standing there, I really think it’s going to be something that everyone will remember forever.”
Field Level Media
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