One of Bryson DeChambeau’s first meetings with Tiger Woods came at the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National.
Of course, the American has gone on to represent the USA in two separate Ryder Cups, in 2018 and 2021.
After missing the 2023 event, DeChambeau is now eligible for Team USA after the PGA of America announced that LIV Golf players would be available for selection.
DeChambeau looks nailed on for a captain’s pick after Keegan Bradley reiterated his desire to take the 12 strongest USA players to Bethpage Black.
However, back in 2016, two years before Dechambeau made his Ryder Cup debut in Paris, the fresh-faced 23-year-old was actually in attendance as a fan.
Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau’s 2016 Ryder Cup meeting
Fresh off earning his PGA Tour card, DeChambeau turned up in Minnesota looking for a taste of what the Ryder Cup was all about.
The USA sought to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat and comfortably beat the Europeans 17-11. The story here, however, centres around DeChambeau and Woods.
Woods, who was a vice-captain, was clearly aware of DeChambeau’s presence at Hazeltine. And, somehow, DeChambeau ended up in Woods’ buggy.
The 15-time major winner would then proceed to see whether the up-and-coming PGA Tour star was really as smart as he claimed to be.
“To see how smart he is, [I asked him] what are our odds or percentages of X and X, if you put this pairing, in this session, what are the odds of us winning,” Woods revealed. “And he said I’ll give you half the hole. And he came back with the answer.”
What Tiger Woods said about playing with Bryson DeChambeau at Ryder Cup
In fact, the moment at Hazeltine National appeared to be the start of a friendship between Woods and DeChambeau.
Speaking before the 2018 Ryder Cup, Woods admitted he was excited by the prospect of playing alongside DeChambeau.
“He and I playing together would be fantastic,” Woods said. “I know that we think about the game completely differently. I’m very much a feel-oriented guy, and he’s very much a numbers guy, but for some reason, we get along great, and we work.”
Unfortunately, the partnership didn’t work during the event at Le Golf National. DeChambeau ended the event, having lost all three of his matches.
Fast forward two years, however, and DeChambeau redeemed himself at Whistling Straights, helping the USA regain the Ryder Cup with a 2-0-1 record.
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