Keegan Bradley followed all 10 US Ryder Cup players around the course during day one of the Procore Championship on Thursday.
Bradley has placed team unity above all else during his role as Ryder Cup captain and that has been clearly visible this week at the Procore Championship.
It was no surprise to see Bradley pair up his Ryder Cup players during the Procore Championship practice rounds, and they were all playing alongside one another in separate groups during day one of the tournament proper.
The United States are in desperate need of a win at Bethpage Black later this month, having lost eight of the last 11 Ryder Cup meetings with Team Europe.
The Bethpage Black crowds will bring the passion to the Ryder Cup, and Bradley will undoubtedly lean on that, given his fiery nature.
That said, the outcome of the Ryder Cup will quite obviously be decided by which team’s players perform the best during the three days of the competition.
Right now, though, Bradley is not interested in how his Ryder Cup team members are performing, but rather how they are getting along with one another.
Keegan Bradley loved something he saw on day one at the Procore Championship
There were numerous impressive performances from the US Ryder Cup stars at the Silverado Resort on Thursday.
However, there were some underwhelming showings as well.
That said, Bradley clearly wasn’t interested in how the Ryder Cup stars actually played on the day.
When speaking midway through the Procore Championship, Bradley shared something that he absolutely loved to see in Napa on day one.
He said: “I loved looking down the fairway and seeing them all walking together, I just think that’s amazing.
“Everywhere I look I see the guys together. I don’t really care how they play you know, it’s just been great to see them around each other, joking around together, it has been really fun to watch.“
Building a strong camaraderie amongst the American players will have been one of Bradley’s key remits when he was made captain last year.
And as things stand, it seems like he has succeeded in that regard.
Potential US pairings for day one foursomes of the Ryder Cup
The US obviously have some incredibly gifted players amongst their ranks, but the general consensus is that it may be difficult for captain Bradley to find four strong pairings for the opening day foursomes.
Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley seem to be almost an automatic partnership after their success at the Presidents Cup last year.
Meanwhile, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele will most likely partner up with one another.
This is when it gets tricky. Bryson DeChambeau is an exceptionally talented player, but perhaps not the best in the alternate shot format.
Meanwhile, Collin Morikawa has been woefully out of form for months now and Justin Thomas hasn’t been much better.
Cameron Young, J.J. Spaun and Ben Griffin are rookies, so Bradley may lean on Sam Burns and Harris English – the first and 18th ranked best putters on the PGA Tour last season.
That leaves one final pairing, and the players to fill that void will be anyone’s guess.
Young and Thomas may work with the boisterous New York crowd, while a DeChambeau and Griffin partnership has been widely mooted.
Perhaps Spaun could partner up with Scheffler, and Henley could then play with his fellow Georgia Bulldog English.
There is obviously plenty for Bradley to consider before the Ryder Cup gets under way in two weeks’ time.
And finding four solid pairings for the foursomes may well be the toughest challenge that he faces.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
