Ryder Cup 2021: Bullish Bryson DeChambeau vows to be 'team player'

Bryson DeChambeau broke his silence with the print media to show he’s buying into the 43rd Ryder Cup and, in doing so, made bullish noises about how he can prove people wrong by fitting into a team environment.

Bryson DeChambeau tees off from the fourth tee on the first offical practice day for the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. Picture: Patrick Smith/Getty Images.

“This isn't about me,” insisted the American, who has given the impression that he isn’t exactly suited for team events in his quest for individual greatness. “This is about the team going and winning the Ryder Cup.”

DeChambeau has already failed once when it comes to that goal, losing all three of his matches as the Americans were hammered 17.5-10-5 at Le Golf National in France three years ago.

Prior to that, the Californian was also part of a defeated US side in the 2015 Walker Cup at Royal Lytham, where he was left out of the opening foursomes session by Spider Miller.

Having won the US Open last year and established himself in the world’s top 10, there’s no denying that DeChambeau has talent, but his career so far has often been overshadowed by controversy.

He’s even been the target of stick from US fans over a public feud this year with Brooks Koepka, one of his team-mates at Whistling Straits, but DeChambeau isn’t interested in trying to use this week to try and change perceptions about him.

“All I'm trying to do is showcase what I can do for the game of golf. Whether people like it or not, that's their interpretation of it,” he said. “I'm going to keep providing people with the best entertainment I possibly can, and some people may not like it, some people love it.

“I'm now doing stuff on TikTok and Instagram and YouTube, just trying to do things a little different because I want to show people who I actually am. I think it's cool when they get to see behind the scenes a little bit, see what I do during my daily life.

“It kind of opens it up to, ‘whoa, this isn't just this person because of what people think about me out on the golf course, this is actually a human being’.

“At the end of the day it's not about changing anybody's perception. I think it's about getting the crowd behind us and allowing us to, I guess you could say, rile us up to win the Cup.”

Has he been hurt by some of the comments directed at him on the PGA Tour this year?

“We're all humans at the end of the day, and I think there's obviously a level of control that any human will ever have, and you can have a lot of armour and you can protect yourself with people around you and all that,” he added.

“Sure, there are times where it's not comfortable, but there's also times where it fuels me. I think this week is going to be an amazing example of it, and it's going to be fun to be able to have the crowd behind us and pump them up and show them what I can hopefully do and what we can do as a team, more importantly.

“I'm not going to make this about me again. This is about a team event. I've got a brass chest. I've taken a lot of heat. But I'm okay with it, and I understand I'm in the place where I'm at, and it's going to be that way moving forward.

“I recognise it and all I'm going to do is my absolute best to show people who I truly am, and whatever people think about me is not important. It's about the team this week. It's about riling us all up and getting that Ryder Cup back here on US home soil.”

DeChambeau, who is hoping to achieve 200 miles an hour ball speed using a 45-inch driver in the event, was asked if he’d made efforts to end his feud with Koepka.

“A lot of this social media stuff has definitely been driven by a lot of external factors, not necessarily us two,” he said. “We had some great conversations Tour Championship week when we had dinner, and then this week, as well. I sat down and had dinner with him last night, and it was fine.

“I think there may be something fun coming up here moving forward, but won't speak too much more on that.”

The duo were later seen speaking briefly on the range in a video clip posted on social media.

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