Bryson DeChambeau felt like something of an outsider even before he had made the decision to jump from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf in 2022.
Few players at the highest level of the game have enjoyed a transformation as vast as Bryson DeChambeau. It is surely fair to say that he was someone who came in for a lot of criticism during the early years of his career.
DeChambeau was not a particularly popular player among PGA Tour fans for some time. So it was not particularly surprising that he made the decision to move to LIV Golf three years ago.
It is also remarkable to look back now at just how little was said about the chances of DeChambeau making Zach Johnson‘s Ryder Cup team in 2023.
However, heading into Bethpage, perceptions of DeChambeau could hardly be more different.
How the USA team feels about Bryson DeChambeau ahead of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage
Keegan Bradley confirmed DeChambeau would be on his team at The Open Championship, several weeks before his qualification was officially confirmed. And there will be plenty of fans who hope to see the Crushers captain play all five sessions in New York.
It seems that his teammates have also been impressed by DeChambeau’s contribution to the team over the last few months.
Speaking on Golf Channel, Todd Lewis suggested that many of Bradley’s side are delighted to have DeChambeau on their team this week.
“Let’s not forget, he is the only LIV player on the United States’ team but he has been heavily invested on being a part of this United States’ Ryder Cup team,” he said.
“He has been at every team meeting he has been able to attend, as a matter of fact, at the Tour Championship Keegan Bradley held a dinner for his six automatic qualifiers and Bryson was one of those, he flew to Atlanta for that dinner.
“And if you remember he was in Napa for the PGA Tour first Fall event which 10 of the 11 team members played who were eligible to play, he was there for the social functions.
“I can tell you this, his teammates on the United States team have embraced Bryson – not only because of his great talent but his great personality and they think he will be a big part of stirring up the energy here at Bethpage Black.”
Bryson DeChambeau now has players queuing up to team with him in New York
The 2021 Ryder Cup came at a time when DeChambeau was starting to become more popular. But it is hard to imagine that there was a queue of players looking to team up with him at Whistling Straits.
Ultimately, he was paired with rookie Scottie Scheffler over the first two days in Wisconsin. And he really helped Steve Stricker‘s men ensure that they never lost the momentum across the week.
This time around, it would appear that most of the team would jump at the chance to team with the two-time US Open winner.
Ben Griffin has said he would love to play with DeChambeau, while Xander Schauffele has told DeChambeau what he wants him to do if they are paired together.
DeChambeau appears to now have the love from his peers he probably always craved.
And an impressive display in the coming days will increase the calls for the need for the 32-year-old to be back playing against the PGA Tour’s best on a regular basis.
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