CHARLOTTE, N.C. — U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley shared on Tuesday that he had extended an invitation to Liv golfers Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka for a Ryder Cup dinner held last week.
“They were part of the experience and played for their former team,” Bradley explained.
“Honestly, no one seems to focus on the nuances of this Ryder Cup or the ongoing debates between the PGA Tour and LIV. What we care about is assembling the best teams. Whether that includes one or two LIV players? Well, that’s almost secondary,” he added.
“We’ll see how the year unfolds. It was a good opportunity to catch up with everyone; it’s been a while since we’ve done something like this.”
DeChambeau, speaking on Tuesday, described the invitation as “an incredible honor.”
“Unfortunately, I was delayed by a major storm for over three hours and couldn’t attend the dinner in person, but we connected over Zoom and discussed it with the captain,” he noted. “I need to keep playing well and focus on making the team—that’s my goal. From what I’ve heard, the dinner was quite inspiring, and I believe the captain will be an exceptional leader for the team. Whoever makes the final cut will undoubtedly be well-managed during the competition at Bethpage.”
DeChambeau currently sits fifth on the Ryder Cup points list, with the top six earning automatic bids. Koepka, on the other hand, finds himself at number 91.
Since LIV players only accrue points through PGA Tour-sanctioned events, Koepka’s opportunities have been limited, affecting his standings largely due to disappointing recent performances in the majors.
DeChambeau is the defending U.S. Open champion, having recently finished fifth at the Masters.
Meanwhile, Spanish golfer and LIV member Jon Rahm was asked about his standing in the European Ryder Cup team led by Luke Donald.
“That’s something for Luke to decide; it’s his team,” Rahm stated. When queried about whether he had received indications regarding his place on the team, he replied, “You’d have to ask Luke. That’s beyond my influence.”
As it stands, Rahm is positioned 29th on the European Ryder Cup points list and will need strong performances in the majors to break into the top six by the time the competition occurs at Bethpage Black in September.
On a different note, two local club professionals are gearing up for the tournament this Thursday. Chie, from Deepdale, is slated to play alongside Patrick Fishburne and Seamus Power, starting at 7:16 AM, while Dylan Newman from Meadowbrook will tee off with Victor Perez and Daniel Fontonder at 9:12 AM.
