PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Bryson DeChambeau is going to be a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, even if he falls out of the top six automatic qualifiers which will be determined next month.
DeChambeau, who shot a final-round 64 at Royal Portrush to tie for 10th at the British Open, remains fifth in the U.S. team standings but can no longer earn any points as a LIV Golf League member.
But U.S. captain Keegan Bradley tells Sports Illustrated that the long-hitting DeChambeau will be at Bethpage Black for the U.S. team in September.
“Bryson is going to be a very important piece to us winning the Ryder Cup,” Bradley said via text Sunday night. “He brings so much. He brings energy, passion but most importantly, he’s one of the best players on the planet.”
DeChambeau runs the risk of falling out of the top six automatic qualifiers and would then need a captain’s pick. PGA Tour players still have four more events in which they can attempt to qualify and more points will be at stake in the first two FedEx Cup playoff events.
The remaining six players, including possibly Bradley, will be chosen following the Tour Championship. Bradley tied for 30th after a final-round 71 on Sunday and appears to be a strong possibility to be the first U.S. Ryder Cup playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.
DeChambeau’s previous best finish at the Open was a tie for eighth in 2022. This is just the second time he finished in the top 10 and he admitted he has struggled with links golf.
But he rebounded after an opening-round 78 to shoot 65-68-64 and move into a tie for 10th, although well behind winner Scottie Scheffler.
Afterward, DeChambeau was asked if he spoke to Bradley this week and said they had a brief conversation but said he was touched by an inspirational note left for him and other potential Ryder Cup players in their lockers.
Although he didn’t want to disclose the message, DeChambeau said “it meant a lot. This year’s no joke. We’re tired of it. We’re tired of losing.”
The U.S. lost the Ryder Cup to Europe in 2023 in Rome and DeChambeau was part of a winning team in 2021 at Whistling Straits.
Bradley later said he left a photo of Justin Leonard, the hero of the 1999 Ryder Cup at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., where the Americans staged a huge rally, overcoming a 10-6 deficit to win 14½ to 13½. Leonard holed a long birdie putt on the 17th hole that turned out to clinch the Cup for the Americans.
At the time, Bradley was 13 years old and attending the event for the first time.
“It was a very important moment in our USA Ryder Cup history,” Bradley said. “That changed my life forever. I wanted to portray to the boys that this will be them. And they can make a huge impact on people with what they do at Bethpage.”
Although he failed to add to his major total this year, DeChambeau still had a strong year, playing in the final group with winner Rory McIlroy at the Masters, where he tied for fifth and then tying for second behind Scheffler at the PGA Championship. He missed the cut last month at the U.S. Open.
In 10 LIV Golf events this year, DeChambeau has six top-10 finishes, including a victory in Korea. LIV has a tournament next week in England.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Keegan Bradley Confirms Bryson DeChambeau Will Be on U.S. Ryder Cup Team.