Captain Keegan Bradley is happy to have a not-so-secret weapon on the U.S. 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 told reporters Tuesday at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y.
“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 that 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 U.S. Open champion, left the PGA Tour in 2022 and did not make the Ryder Cup squad in 2023 that lost to Team Europe in Italy. He automatically qualified for Keegan’s team this time around 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 U.S. in the 2018 and 2021 Ryder Cup, compiling an overall record of 2-3-1.
Bradley lauded DeChambeau for going out of his way to spend as much time as possible with his U.S. 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 that he has,” Bradley said. “He’s made every effort possible and been incredible in the team room.”
Another potential X factor that could provide inspiration for the American players is the presence of U.S. President Donald J. Trump.
Bradley said having the commander-in-chief on the course won’t be a distraction.
“No, definitely not. I’m deeply honored that the President of the United States is going to come support our team at the Ryder Cup,” he said. “I think anytime 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 aren’t any current plans for the team to meet with 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 United States standing there, I really think it’s going to be something that everyone will remember forever.”
