In a smart but seemingly obvious move, 10 of the 12 US Ryder Cup team members are in the field this week at the PGA Tour’s Procore Championship, which is doubling as a team-bonding experience and an early competitive tune-up for Bethpage Black. The only two members not playing are Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau.
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Schauffele is out of the mix for a very good reason – the birth of his first child. DeChambeau is out of the mix for a much different reason – his suspension from the PGA Tour following his defection from LIV Golf. But that hasn’t kept DeChambeau away from the team itself, as he is on hand in Napa this week just to be with the boys.
Collin Morikawa, who, like DeChambeau, will be competing in his third Ryder Cup later this month, has taken notice of DeChambeau’s team-first mentality. The two-time major champion even revealed that DeChambeau, despite no longer being a member of the PGA Tour, has been around the guys more than anyone realises.
“Not just this week, he’s made efforts to come out to other meetings and other dinners as well,” said Morikawa on Thursday. “It shows that he just cares. I think this whole individual aspect, we’ve all thrown that out the window and we will all do what it takes to be with the team.”
Win or lose, the narrative over the last handful of Ryder Cups has been that the US team simply isn’t as close as the Europeans. They don’t all “get on” that well. They are all individuals incapable of coming together in a team setting.
Morikawa said that has not been his experience. And DeChambeau’s presence so far this year has been proof of that.
“It’s been pretty seamless I think through all my team events, like there hasn’t been any awkwardness around anyone,” he said. “I’m not saying just because we lost in Rome there was awkwardness in the team room. All of us have been great together, but just adding the extra little dinners, hanging out, that just shows that he cares. Like I said, he’s going to do everything it takes and everything we need and we need from him to go out and put points on the board.
“To have him there yesterday, being around the team, hanging out, like they’re all positives for us. I think the more we can all be together, which we’ve already been, the closer we’re going to be and the more comfortable we’re going to be.”
The good vibes aren’t just taking place off the course this week either. On Thursday and Friday, Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun and Russell Henley will play together, while Morikawa will play alongside Harris English and US vice captain Webb Simpson over the first two rounds. Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns are grouped with vice captain Gary Woodland, and Justin Thomas, Ben Griffin and Cameron Young are also a trio.
