With 10 of the 12 members of the U.S. Ryder Cup team participating in the Procore Championship this week, captain Keegan Bradley described this group of players as “the closest team I’ve been a part of.” Bradley highlighted the importance of this meeting, mentioning that it’s “really fun to be together as a team outside of the Ryder Cup, as the Ryder Cup is very intense and stressful.” He added that it’s “nice to see the guys interact” in a more relaxed environment. The decision to organize a kind of training camp this week was made by Bradley at the beginning of his tenure as captain. Unlike the 2023 Ryder Cup, where only two players participated in the Procore, this time several players, including world number 1 Scottie Scheffler, marked the event on their calendars. The Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black is only two weeks away, from September 23rd to 28th.
For Bradley, this week represents an opportunity to strengthen team bonds. He and the assistant captains are staying in a house where a dinner was held on Tuesday night, which Bryson DeChambeau attended, and also to observe the players as captain and define the crucial pairings for the foursomes and four-ball formats. Bradley expressed his satisfaction at being able to be captain in front of the players without competing, as this allows him to focus on his role and the team’s strategy. The 10 team members present were paired with other team players during a nine-hole practice round on Tuesday. Collin Morikawa and Harris English played together, while Scheffler played with Russell Henley and J.J. Spaun. Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Sam Burns, and Cam Young followed closely behind. Ben Griffin played with assistant captain Brandt Snedeker, who is also in the tournament. All team members in the field will also play together during the Thursday and Friday rounds.I think the players knew this was important. This Ryder Cup means everything to them. This group of players, they are true friends and they are friends off the golf course, which in my previous teams, I don’t know if we had that as much as this group.
Keegan Bradley
Post about the playing pairings
While almost all of the European team is participating in the BMW Championship this week near London, Bradley has taken inspiration from them with the Procore Championship, but maintains his focus on his team.One of our goals was for the guys to be prepared, ready to know who they are playing with. Especially in alternate shot, I think that’s more important. I’d say we’re at 90%.
Keegan Bradley
To be honest, I really don’t care what they’re doing, I really don’t care what the European Team does. They’re a confident group, they should be. They won the last Ryder Cup, their team is solid. Luke Donald is perhaps the best captain in history, someone I’ve always admired. So they should be confident, but I really don’t care, I only care about our team.
Keegan Bradley
