The Ryder Cup is fast approaching, it appears Bryson DeChambeau will have to do what he can on his own to stay sharp, much to the chagrin of Team USA captain Keegan Bradley.
Because DeChambeau left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf, he’s still technically banned from playing Tour events. That means DeChambeau won’t be able to join the growing number of American teammates — Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele are expected to be there — who are going to play the Procore Championship in September to sharpen their games ahead of the late-September Ryder Cup on Long Island.
That the Tour won’t make an exception for DeChambeau apparently caught Bradley off-guard. The captain told Sports Illustrated that, well, he thought the Ryder Cup was bigger than the Tour.
Bryson DeChambeau Won’t Join Ryder Cup Teammates in Napa
“Well, he’s suspended,” Bradley told Sports Illustrated at the BMW Championship. “And that’s out of my control.”
He added: “I thought that the Ryder Cup sort of transcends all of this. And really, the last thing on my mind is the PGA Tour-LIV stuff.”
There’s no doubting DeChambeau’s ability. In fact, DeChambeau is one of just a few LIV players who have improved since the league began in 2022. He won the U.S. Open in 2024 at Pinehurst and has been a legitimate contender in just about every major since. He even shook off a brutal first round at The Open Championship to storm back for a top-10 finish at Royal Portrush.
But it’s not entirely surprising that the Tour won’t reverse course. DeChambeau, who reportedly got $125 million to sign with LIV, was among a handful of players who defected in 2022 for the inaugural LIV event. Suspensions followed for all of them, and despite a framework agreement between the Tour and the Saudi PIF in 2023, those players don’t appear any closer to returning.
Clearly, that doesn’t include the Procore Championship.
Bryson DeChambeau’s Ryder Cup Fit
Regardless of how or where DeChambeau warms up for Bethpage, he’s already a lock to be a captain’s pick, despite his lack of points. Bradley has confirmed as much. How he fits into the team is another story.
Although he missed the cut at the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black, DeChambeau seemingly has the skill set, primarily his length off the tee, to be a major contributor. The question is going to be how he fits in and with whom he plays the first two days of the tournament. He struggled mightily in his first Ryder Cup appearance, going 0-3-0 in 2018 before bouncing back with a 2-0-1 performance in 2021.
If there’s any credit for Bradley, it’s that he’s clearly trying to bridge the gap between the two tours and include LIV players not just in the selection process but in team building, too. Both DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka were part of a Ryder Cup dinner prior to the PGA Championship.
“I think this goes to what Keegan Bradley has made clear on numerous occasions, that he’s taking the politics out of this,” Rex Hoggard said on his Golf Channel podcast in May. “He wants the best 12 players to win the Ryder Cup.
“He’s not going to get bogged down in the optics of what looks right and what doesn’t, and I think the game has moved on from that. The first time it happened, it was probably a little awkward, a little uncomfortable int he team room … I don’t think we’re there anymore.”
The players might not be, but the Tour sure is, and it might mean DeChambeau will have to prep on his own.
Bryson DeChambeau Ryder Cup Situation Miffs Keegan Bradley