Bryson DeChambeau left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf way back in June 2022 and in fairness to him, he has actually improved as a golfer over the past three years.
As a result of his excellent form over the past 15-18 months, DeChambeau will be the only LIV golfer on the US Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black in September.
And there may well be a slight issue lying in wait for the 31-year-old American, with the PGA Tour players planning to do something specific two weeks before the Ryder Cup starts.
DeChambeau is absolutely box-office what with his immense power and prodigious length off the tee, so he’ll be a massive fan favourite up in New York state next month.
Keegan Bradley has already confirmed that DeChambeau will be on the Ryder Cup team at Bethpage.
However, his preparation for the event will look slightly different to the rest of the United States team.
Golf fans call for Bryson DeChambeau to be given permission to play PGA Tour event
With the Ryder Cup now just six weeks away, the US team have a cunning plan up their sleeves for mid-September.
Bradley recently revealed that the Ryder Cup team will all be playing at the Procore Championship in Napa, California, two weeks before the start of the showdown with Europe at Bethpage.
The reason for this is because the US team were seriously undercooked when they played the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy.
However, a spokesperson for the PGA Tour has insisted that DeChambeau “is not eligible for PGA Tour competition”, when speaking to SI.
And in response to a question posed on X, many golf fans urged the PGA Tour to grant DeChambeau special dispensation to play in the event at the Silverado Resort.
One simply said: “Obviously he should.“ While another made a great point, saying: “Should America’s premier golf tour help its country’s Ryder Cup team? Surely the answer is an obvious yes?“
This sentiment was supported by lots of others. With comments stating: “Absolutely. Apparently it’s a team-building event and Bryson is part of the team. It’s typical BS by the PGA.“
And “The purpose is to get the team playing together. None of them WANT to be there. To act like you are punishing Bryson by not letting him participate is hilarious.”
Others were equally passionate in their response.
“Absolutely!! Whatever it takes to get the Ryder Cup back,” one exclaimed. While another added: “I am a known LIV basher (and I stand by my record! But yes, special exemption in this instance.“
The views continued, with the PGA Tour being begged to reconsider. “Of course he should! He’s done a LOT for the game! He’s a great player and a nice guy!“
However, not everyone thinks the PGA Tour should change their rules to accommodate the LIV golfer.
One fan wrote on X: “Absolutely not. He made his choice.“ While another said: “No he should not!!! Dumb question!!! Move on with your time!“
Some even suggested that DeChambeau himself was to blame for the situation he put himself in. “I’m sorry but every player who went from the PGA Tour to LIV knew full well that this kind of thing is the price,’ they wrote.
It’s a tricky situation, isn’t it? On one hand, it’s easy to see why DeChambeau being given special permission to play at the Procore Championship would be beneficial to both him and the US Ryder Cup team.
However, on the other hand, it is true that he would have known that this kind of problem would arise when he left the PGA Tour to join LIV three years ago.
The prediction Bryson DeChambeau made about PGA Tour / LIV merger in 2024
DeChambeau made an incredibly bold prediction about what would happen regarding a potential merger between LIV and the PGA Tour back in January 2024.
“I think the deal is going to come quicker than you think,” DeChambeau said.
“It might not be the next couple of weeks. Maybe a month or so. But it’s going to happen. There’s no way around it now. This is about the good of the game for the fans. The health of the game for the fans.
“As time goes on, we’re starting to see these fans are hungry for us all to come back together. I can’t wait for that day to happen.
“What I could see is LIV integrating into the Signature Series on the PGA Tour in some capacity and having two championships in one, where you have the individual component in the Signature Series, and you have the team side of it,” he explained.
“You have the teams you’re playing for, so no matter what on that final day that guy that’s playing really bad still matters, it’s still a big deal on the team championship aspect of the tournament.
“Then you guys have the individual side that’s still competing for that individual title the way it is currently.”
DeChambeau has proven to be well wide of the mark concerning that prediction and the fact that the two tours are still very much at a standoff has made Ryder Cup qualification for LIV players extremely challenging.
It has also caused a small issue for DeChambeau himself ahead of the upcoming event at Bethpage Black.
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