Bryson DeChambeau had a week of contrasting emotions at Royal Portrush. The mercurial golf talent was staring down the barrel of an early Open Championship exit when he hit a score of seven over on day one. But what followed was somewhat of a masterclass in links golf.
A stunning 65 on day two dragged him back underneath the cut line, before scores of 68 and 64 over the weekend saw him finish with a pretty remarkable nine-under-par total. If it wasn’t for Thursday’s blow-up, there’s every chance he’d have been lifting up the Claret Jug himself.
Alas, it wasn’t to be for DeChambeau, whose next big outing will likely come at the Ryder Cup in September. But after completing his final round at Portrush, DeChambeau revealed that United States Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley had left each player in contention of making the USA team a touching message in their locker.
He explained: “You know, I talked with him briefly. And then he put something in our lockers that was pretty inspirational…it’s personal. It’s a personal message. …It meant a lot.” Before explaining the mentality Team USA will adopt at Bethpage Black: “This year’s no joke. We’re tired of it. We’re tired of losing.”
Bradley confirmed after his final round at Portrush that DeChambeau will be part of the team in New York, even if he misses out on the top six automatic qualifiers. He explained: “Bryson is going to be a very important piece to us winning the Ryder Cup. He brings so much. He brings energy, passion but most importantly, he’s one of the best players on the planet.”
Bradley, who finished four under at The Open, could make history by becoming the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963. On the prospect of reclaiming the Ryder Cup, he said: “It certainly won’t be easy. Nothing about picking whoever it is is going to be easy, but if I get to that position and I feel like I’m going to help the team, then I’ll consider playing.
“I want to obviously wait until the time comes to pick the players and see how I’m doing, and if there’s somebody that is playing great that can take my spot, I’ll be thrilled for that. I just want to put the best team on the course at Bethpage.”