With just 41 days to go before the Ryder Cup tees off at Bethpage Black, heat and excitement around Team USA are growing. The final team will be announced after the Tour Championship next week, but one unqualified LIV name is already locked in: Bryson DeChambeau.
Last month, US captain Keegan Bradley confirmed to Sports Illustrated that the LIV Golf star will be part of the squad, calling him “a very important piece to us winning the Ryder Cup.”
But while Bradley wants DeChambeau in his lineup, he won’t have him in his warm-up plans.
The captain has encouraged all US players to compete in the Procore Championship at Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif., taking place just two weeks before the Bethpage showdown.
Though the event isn’t mandatory, most players are expected to be there. Scottie Scheffler has already confirmed his participation, and others are likely to follow once the final six captain’s picks are made.
DeChambeau, however, won’t be joining them.
“That’s up to the Tour and their decision to make,” DeChambeau told Sports Illustrated after opening with a 4-under 67 at LIV Golf Indianapolis on Friday. “It’s on them if they don’t let us become together as a team and play.”
“That just shows you … yeah, I’m not gonna say that,” he added further, while pausing. “Yeah, it’s a scenario that’s unfortunate, and I wish it was different, but LIV’s willing to let me play.”
DeChambeau would need a sponsor’s exemption to enter the Procore Championship, a formality given his star power, but the real hurdle is eligibility.
A PGA Tour spokesperson reiterated to SI Golf that the two-time U.S. Open champion “is not eligible for PGA Tour competition,” due to his ongoing suspension stemming from his 2022 move to LIV Golf.
Bradley’s agent, Brett Falkoff, confirmed that no formal request had been made to the Tour. “Bryson plans to participate in every team gathering that he is permitted to attend,” Falkoff revealed via text to SI’s Bob Harig.
Unless the PGA Tour reverses its four-year stance on LIV-affiliated players, DeChambeau will be the only member of Team USA absent from the Napa event.
DeChambeau, currently ranked fifth in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings with 10,774.98 points, is projected to qualify automatically. He also sits at No. 17 in the Official World Golf Ranking, despite LIV events not awarding OWGR points.
The “Break 50” YouTuber’s season includes a win in Korea, top-five finishes in three majors, and a T10 at The Open.
“I’m going to have the best 12 players, so the PGA of America … we’re going to have the 12 best players, so they need to figure that out, if that’s their problem,” Bradley said, as quoted by SI.
But for now, DeChambeau remains focused on what he can control.
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