One thing has stuck out to U.S. captain Keegan Bradley during Ryder Cup preparations.
His players like each other and get along well.
That’s not always the case when egos are involved and sacrifices have to be made. But Bradley is highly impressed at the bonding that is going on as the squad gets ready for the event at Bethpage Black in New York from Sept. 26-28.
“We have a wide range of rookies, veterans, Scottie Scheffler, No. 1 player in the world, but we really have a group of a great team,” Bradley said Wednesday, one day before the Procore Championship in Napa, Calif. “These guys, they really care about one another, they treat each other with respect. It’s the closest team I’ve ever seen.”
Bradley said the 12-player squad gets along well off the course, too. He said everybody is pulling in the same direction.
“The thing that I’ve noticed that’s most impressive is they really pull for each other and they want each other to do well,” Bradley said. “When I was playing, I wasn’t really pulling for anybody, I was wanting to beat (guys) and play my best. These guys, they’re genuinely excited for their friend that wins a tournament and that’s really great.”
Scheffler is one of 10 members of the Ryder Cup team playing at the event in Napa. The others are J.J. Spaun, Russell Henley, Harris English, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns.
The two members not playing the Procore Championship are Xander Schauffele (recent birth of a child) and Bryson DeChambeau of LIV Golf. DeChambeau is ineligible to play in PGA events but was in Napa on Tuesday partaking in some of the festivities, including meetings and a team dinner.
“He has to make a much bigger effort than a lot of the guys,” Bradley said of DeChambeau. “Bryson was there last night. He’s been incredible. 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, for the guys 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 that Bryson has for the team. He’s going to be a huge asset for us.”
Scheffler said Wednesday that he likes the leadership being shown by Bradley and the overall camaraderie within the group.
“When guys have questions, they’re willing to ask,” Scheffler said. “You know, Keegan I think is our leader, that’s why he’s the captain and he’s done a really good job. As far as my role on the team, I think we’re all just trying to be ourselves.
“I love the other 11 guys we have on the squad, we have great vice captains as well and we have a really fun squad, we have a good time and everybody’s doing whatever they can in order to be prepared to go play Bethpage and that’s really all we can ask for.”
Team Europe easily beat the U.S. in the 2023 Ryder Cup. The Europeans have won 10 of the last 14 matches.
