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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Keegan Bradley, the U.S. Ryder Cup captain, revealed Tuesday that he invited two LIV Golf players — Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka — to a Ryder Cup dinner last week.
“They were in there on points and they played on previous teams,’’ Bradley said. “It was great to have them there.
“This Ryder Cup and what comes with this, no one cares about what’s going on in this side PGA Tour [versus] LIV. We’re trying to put the best team together. It could mean there’s one LIV guy, two LIV guys, it doesn’t matter.
“We’ll see how this year shakes out. It was really great to have them together with all the guys. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to do that.’’
DeChambeau on Tuesday called it “an incredible honor’’ to be invited.
“Unfortunately, we had massive storms that morning that delayed me 3 ¹/₂ hours and I couldn’t make it to the dinner, but I saw it on Zoom and also talked to the captain about it. I was step-in-step with him. We had a great conversation after.
“Look, I’ve got to keep playing good golf and hopefully I can make [the team] on points alone. That’s the goal. From everything I heard, [the dinner] was pretty inspirational, and I know the captain is going to be a great leader for the team. Whoever he chooses and whoever makes the team, he’s going to do a great job at Bethpage.’’
Keegan Bradley, who is the U.S. Ryder Cup, hits a bunker shot at the PGA Championship during a practice round on May 13, 2025. APDeChambeau is fifth on the Ryder Cup points list, with the top six receiving automatic invites. Koepka is 91st.
The LIV players are only getting points for PGA Tour-sanctioned events — which is why Koepka has tumbled so far down the list, because his form in majors of late hasn’t been good.
DeChambeau is the defending U.S. Open champion and he finished tied for fifth at the Masters.
Bryson DeChambeau said he appreciated the fact captain Keegan Bradley invited him to a Ryder Cup team dinner last week, even though he was unable to attend. Getty ImagesBradley, a New England native and huge Boston sports fan, was gutted to see Celtics star Jayson Tatum go down with a ruptured Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the NBA playoff series against the Knicks on Monday night.
Tatum, who had 42 points when he was injured in the fourth quarter, is out for the rest of the series.
“That was sad last night,’’ Bradley said. “I hope Jayson Tatum is all right. Let’s win the next game, and then we’ll sort it out.’’
Jon Rahm, the Spanish star and member of LIV Golf, was asked about what his status is for the European Ryder Cup team, captained by Luke Donald.
“That’s a question for Luke, it’s his team,’’ Rahm said. “Hopefully, I can qualify [on points] and we don’t have to question it. I would like to think that personally I am, but it’s not up to me.
Asked if Donald has given him any indication that he’ll be on the team regardless of points, Rahm said, “You’d have to ask Luke that question. It’s not up to me to say.’’
Rahm is 29th on the European Ryder Cup points list and would need a high finish in a major to get up to the top six, with the competition in September at Bethpage Black.
The two Met Area club pros in the field, Andre Chi and Dylan Newman, are ready to tee it up Thursday.
Chi, from Deepdale, is paired with Patrick Fishburn and Seamus Power at 7:16 a.m., and Newman, from Meadow Brook, plays with Victor Perez and Daniel Von Tonder at 9:12 a.m.
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