Before the automatic qualifying window closed and all the bubbles popped, United States Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley made it clear that Bryson DeChambeau was going to be a member of his team at Bethpage Black — no matter what transpired over the remainder of the summer. While the two-time U.S. Open champion was inside the top six that automatically qualify at that time, with some additional tournaments on the schedule for his PGA Tour counterparts, he was hardly guaranteed a spot purely on points.
Bradley ensured DeChambeau knew he was on steady ground with the American side.
“Bryson is going to be a very important piece to us winning the Ryder Cup,” the captain said.
In his last chance to watch DeChambeau at The Open Championship, Bradley provided assurance that he would see the big-hitting right hander in a couple months’ time. He left personal notes in lockers at Royal Portrush that aimed to light a fire in the bellies of those who would be donning the red, white and blue in New York.
“This year’s no joke,” DeChambeau said at The Open. “We’re tired of it. We’re tired of losing.”
For DeChambeau, this year’s Ryder Cup marks a return to the competition after failing to make the team in 2023. Consider his belly fired up as, that summer, he was passed over despite a significant run at the PGA Championship and a win at LIV Golf Greenbrier where he signed for a final-round 58. One week before the United States fell to Europe in Rome, DeChambeau won LIV Golf Chicago.
DeChambeau’s omission by then-captain Zach Johnson came following a 2021 Ryder Cup in which he teamed with Scottie Scheffler, the latter of whom was a winless PGA Tour player making his event debut at the time. The two won 1.5 out of 2 possible points in their four-ball matches as DeChambeau served as a pseudo sherpa, tacking on another full point by himself in Sunday singles.
That version of Scheffler is long gone, of course. Now the world No. 1 and four times a major champion, Scheffler sticking a peg in the ground alongside DeChambeau no longer makes sense unless Bradley were to stack two of his best players together — a risky choice that is unlikely to occur.
DeChambeu (5-1) sits only behind Schefler (2-1) as the projected top American points scorer, according to Caesars Sportsbook.
With DeChambeau out of frame, Scheffler has starred alongside Russell Henley in foursomes (1-1-0 in the Presidents Cup) and good friend Sam Burns in fourball where the strategy for pairings is not quite as complex.
Bradley understands how to pair his best player, but the calculation gets much more difficult when factoring in DeChambeau. While it may sound hyperbolic, Bradley’s determination how to best involve the 31-year-old may be one on which the result of the Ryder Cup rests.
Bryson DeChambeau in the Ryder Cup
YearVenueFormatPartnerResult
2018
Le Golf National
Foursomes
Phil Mickelson
Lost 5&4
Foursomes
Tiger Woods
Lost 5&4
Singles
Lost 1 Down
2021
Whistling Straits
Fourball
Scottie Scheffler
Tied
Fourball
Scottie Scheffler
Won 3&1
SinglesWon 3&2
“I think foursomes is obviously the tougher format to pair because there’s so many more factors,” Bradley said at the Procore Championship. “There’s the golf ball. You really want to match up the personalities with foursomes because it is a way tougher format. … But foursomes we have some history in some of the pairings.”
As Bradley mentioned ahead of the United States’ final tune-up, there are a handful of avenues down which he could send DeChambeau in foursomes — based on equipment, personality or statistical fit. If he can put all three together, Bradley may well find a winner at the end of the road.
Making the DeChambeau decision even more important is that foursomes will be the opening session Friday and Saturday morning. Europe went 7-1 in foursomes in 2023, and the U.S. went 6-2 in foursomes at Whistling Straits two years prior. A fast start is required to win the Ryder Cup, and DeChambeau is likely to be featured in foursomes despite going 0-2-0 in his career with Mickelson and Woods as partners in 2018.
Based on equipment (i.e. the golf ball), DeChambeau would draw Cameron Young. Another adopter of a Titleist prototype dubbed the Pro V1x Double Dot, Young won the Wyndham Championship the first week he put the custom performance option in play. A partnership with Young would take out a massive variable and allow both players to feel at home standing over the ball.
However, Young’s statistical profile is not too dissimilar from that of DeChambeau. In the simplest form, both players are long drivers and quality putters. Iron play can come and go, while around-the-green struggles have been known to pop up. They could not be more different from a personality perspective, which may actually serve as beneficial for DeChambeau depending how amped up he gets.
That’s where Justin Thomas could factor in. Among the 11 other players on Team USA, who is not only able to take on the circus that follows DeChambeau but thrive within it? Thomas may be the only man for the job. If you want to hit the nitrous and roar off the starting line, DeChambeau and Thomas begins to make some sense as a pairing.
Statistically, their long-term skillsets are complementary. Thomas is lethal with wedges in hand and a magician around the green, which pairs well with DeChambeau’s strengths, and even more importantly, his weaknesses. The same goes for Thomas, who has not been at his best with the driver in 2025.
The equipment would not be a perfect match, but Thomas does play the Pro V1x and needs of a foursomes partner given Jordan Spieth’s absence from the competition.
Ultimately, Bradley’s DeChambeau dilemma will not be settled until the announcement is made Wednesday evening. Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele are presumed partners, as are Scheffler and Henley, but when DeChambeau’s name gets dropped, there will be a moment of uncertainty until the second is finally revealed.
With fourball, Bradley can give DeChambeau some more leash. Ben Griffin had expressed to CBS Sports this summer his desire to play with DeChambeau, which would likely occur in fourball if it were to at all. Griffin is someone who seems to enjoy the spotlight and would give DeChambeau another opportunity to shepherd around a rookie like he did back in 2021. The same rings true for another rookie in J.J. Spaun.
No matter the decision, it will hold substantial weight for the United States and its prospects of winning back the Ryder Cup. A proper partner could unlock DeChambeau’s fullest capabilities in both playing formats, and in doing so, unleash the Americans’ full potential.
“He’s been incredible,” Bradley said of DeChambeau in the lead up to the Ryder Cup. “He’s been more than willing to go above and beyond for this team. I think it’s a testament to what a good teammate Bryson is. I think it’s actually really cool to see … it’s easy for the guys to come play here and come to dinner. Bryson’s got to get on a plane, he’s got to come to these meetings, and I think it’s a great thing, shows the commitment in that Bryson has for the team.
“He’s going to be a huge asset for us. Obviously, from the standpoint of how good of a player he is, but also he’s fun to be around. He’s great to the younger guys. It’s fun for us to see Bryson in an atmosphere outside the golf course as well.”