Team USA believes they have the X-factor.
As practice rounds continued at Bethpage Black on Tuesday ahead of Friday’s 45th Ryder Cup, U.S. captain Keegan Bradley’s squad has been preparing for vengeance against Luke Donald’s European team after their tough defeat in 2023 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome.
However, that 2023 USA team was without a player that they feel is crucial to their success this weekend: Bryson DeChambeau.
“I was telling Keegan, I feel like Bryson could be the difference for us,” Xander Schauffele said. “In a strange way, from the standpoint of feeding into these fans, the style of golf he plays. … Like, this is his arena. If he views himself as a gladiator golfer. This is as good as it gets. …
“I’m excited to sort of see what he can do, and hopefully get a lot of points up on the board because his points might hit harder than maybe my points, for example, just because of how he might celebrate and get these fans into this tournament quickly.”
DeChambeau, a veteran of two previous Ryder Cups, was left off the 2023 squad due in part to the controversy around his move to Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf at the time. The 32-year-old is known for his exuberance on the golf course and his incredibly long drives — a recipe for success for the Ryder Cup at “The Black.”
The two-time major champion feeds off the energy of the crowd, and if Tuesday’s practice round was any indication, the Long Island crowd will be as rowdy as advertised. European players, who held their first practice rounds a day after their American counterparts first took to the course, were greeted by loud boos on the first tee Tuesday, including a spectator who asked Jon Rahm “Where is your Ozempic?”
“I think Bryson, just his golfing ability alone is an X-factor for our team,” said Bradley, a product of nearby St. John’s University. “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.”
Despite being on their home turf, Team USA comes in with a disadvantage in one area: familiarity with each other. Europe is returning 11 of 12 players from the 2023 winning team — Rasmus Højgaard is the only newcomer, replacing his twin brother Nicolai.
The United States team features only six returners — Scottie Scheffler, Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns and Justin Thomas. On top of DeChambeau not being a part of the 2023 squad, he rarely ever sees his current teammates throughout the year.
The long hitter is the only LIV Golfer wearing red, white and blue this week, the rest of his teammates remain on the PGA Tour. However, that has not seemed to affect team chemistry or cohesion, according to those who spoke to the media Tuesday.
“Yeah, I think Bryson, this is a tough thing for him, to come into guys that he doesn’t see every day, full of PGA Tour players,” Bradley said. “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. He’s made every effort possible and been incredible in the team room.”
His teammates repeat the same sentiment.
“He’s been awesome. He’s been awesome in the team room,” said Schauffele.
All you had to do was listen to know where DeChambeau was at the Bethpage facility on Tuesday. Wherever fans were the loudest, there he would be, providing a preview of what’s to come starting Friday on the Black course.
While Scheffler, the top-ranked golfer in the world, may have the highest expectations to perform for Team USA, DeChambeau carries an additional responsibility — bringing the energy.
from New York Daily News https://ift.tt/gEpGm9d
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