Bryson DeChambeau's Big Driver Energy Isn't Enough for Team USA

Bryson DeChambeau did not have to wave his arms or even flex them to get the crowd fired up on Friday morning. He simply put his tee in the ground, turned toward the bleachers, and offered up a menacing glare. The American crowd erupted. 

They quieted down — briefly — then erupted again when he sent his tee shot screaming toward the first green. 

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It was everything DeChambeau wanted. When he rolled in a birdie putt on the first hole to give the United States a 1-up lead against Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton, you almost could feel the ground shake as he and Justin Thomas walked through the tunnel that leads to the second tee. American fans were screaming in the faces of Rahm and Hatton, and DeChambeau and Thomas each had the hint of a smirk on their faces. 

In terms of tone setters, it was a pretty good one for the United States. It was also a complete mirage. 

American captain Keegan Bradley clearly wanted DeChambeau to make a statement by sending him out first on Friday, hopeful it would energize the New York crowd. But the move turned into a dud when (perhaps predictably) Thomas could not match his partner’s level of play. He hit weak iron shots, poor drives, and indifferent putts. 

Nothing could have told the story of the day better than the seventh hole. Hatton hit a ball — one that was resting against a sizeable stick in the rough — through a gap in the trees and onto the green. Thomas hit his ball into the bunker from the middle of the fairway. The Europeans won the hole with a par when Thomas lipped out his par chance, and the momentum seemed to ripple throughout the course. 

The only noticeable energy from the crowd for the next hour came when beer sales opened at 9 a.m. as the first group was playing the ninth hole. Europe went 3-up with birdies on Nos. 12 and 13. It wasn’t until the 14th that the U.S. made a second birdie in the match, when Thomas finally hit a good iron shot and DeChambeau briefly pumped up the crowd with a good putt. But it didn’t even matter. Rahm calmly rolled in a birdie putt on top of the Americans, silently pumping his fist as he glared at the crowd. 

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In 2014, Tom Watson reportedly walked into the team room Saturday night in Gleneagles and told his already beaten-down team: “You guys stink at foursomes.” As harsh as that may have sounded, history has repeatedly proven that Watson was right. Americans cannot seem to figure out this format. Those struggles have been particularly evident on the road —for example, when they lost the first foursome sessions 4-0 in both Paris (2018) and Italy (2023) — but now they are showing up at home too. 

Even though Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele scraped out a 2-up win over Robert McIntyre and Viktor Hovland in the final match of the morning session, it was still the worst foursomes session for the United States at home since 2004. 

DeChambeau ought to be a massive weapon for the United States in this Ryder Cup. It doesn’t matter if you think it’s genuine or calculated, his YouTube stuff is resonating with a lot of people. The New York crowd seems like it’s going to explode every single time he lashes at the ball, and he’s delivering. He was the only American player to gain strokes in the opening session. 

DeChambeau has been yearning to play in this Ryder Cup for a long time. I’ve long suspected he was deeply hurt when he wasn’t even considered for the 2023 team in Italy, so in a press conference earlier this week, I asked him how it felt to be excluded. He was quite succinct.

“It sucked,” he said. His pain looked like it hadn’t entirely faded. 

It wasn’t a mistake to send him out first on Friday, but Bradley has to find someone who isn’t an anchor for him in foursomes on Saturday. Bethpage can be a tremendous stage for his skills, but he needs a dance partner who isn’t stepping on his feet at every turn.