Latest news with #PGATour-LIV
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Captain Bradley Invited DeChambeau and Koepka to Ryder Cup Dinner
Who's coming to dinner? On Tuesday of last week in Philadelphia, U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley invited players whom he sees as having a chance to make his team in September. Two of the invitees were Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka. Advertisement Seven major victories and six Ryder Cup appearances between them, Bradley sees both as viable alternatives. 'It's an incredible honor, unfortunately we had massive storms that morning that delayed me 3 1/2 hours, and I couldn't make it to the dinner,' DeChambeau said of the dinner invite. 'But I saw it on Zoom and also talked to the captain about it, and I was step and step with him. We had a great conversation after.' The two LIV players are ranked at opposite ends of the ranking list spectrum, with DeChambeau fifth and Koepka 91st; however, the rankings hold less significance when considering LIV players, who can only gain points toward making the U.S. team based on their performance at majors. US team captain Keegan Bradley, left, and Europe team captain Luke Donald take a photo with the Ryder Cup after a press conference at Times Center. Lucas Boland-Imagn Images 'No one cares about what's going on in this side PGA Tour-LIV, we're trying to put the best team together,' Bradley said. 'It could mean there's one LIV guy, two LIV guys, it doesn't matter. We'll see how this year shakes out. It was really great to have them together with all the guys. It's been a while since we've been able to do that.' Advertisement Bradley views both DeChambeau's and Koepka's cup experience as an essential benefit to a team that currently appears to be low on experience, heading into the Big Apple. Bradley is waiting to see how his team will take shape, and this week at the PGA Championship is one of the four critical weeks, as it can make decisions much easier for Bradley as he has seen few American victories this year. 'I think we have to see how the team takes shape here in the next couple of months, but we'll definitely be using analytics to help us make the picks, along with obviously the eye test of who we think is going to be suited for Bethpage Black,' Bradley said. 'I think, when you get down to it, they're always really tough decisions. So, the more information you can get helps you with those, but we'll see how the team takes shape in the next couple of months.' Bryson De Chambeau (Team USA) on the 16th green during the Sunday singles matches at the Ryder Cup | Fran Caffrey Since LIV has fewer analytics compared to what the PGA Tour produces on its players, Bradley will have to massage the LIV numbers and delve into the LIV video archives to see how not only DeChambeau and Koepka are playing, but potentially even an argument could be made for Patrick Reed as well. Advertisement 'We know winning and contending on any tour at any level is difficult,' Bradley said. 'I don't care where you play. I played the mini-tours. Winning there was difficult. Winning on the LIV is difficult. You can see guys -- winning a LIV event is a big deal.' Related: PGA Ducks Tariff Discussion With U.S. Government Related: Kiwi Ryan Fox Wins Myrtle Beach Classic in Playoff
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Keegan Bradley hosts Ryder Cup dinner, invites LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka
Keegan Bradley is starting to get his Ryder Cup team together. The U.S. Ryder Cup captain held a dinner for prospective members of this fall's team last week at the Truist Championship in Philadelphia. He didn't hesitate to include LIV Golf members at that dinner, either. Bradley confirmed on Tuesday ahead of the PGA Championship that he invited both Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. DeChambeau ran into travel issues and didn't make it, but he still participated virtually. "We invited Brooks and Bryson, and they were in there on points, and they played on previous teams," Bradley said at Quail Hollow Club in North Carolina, via ESPN. "It was great to have them there. This Ryder Cup and what comes with this, no one cares about what's going on in this side [of the] PGA Tour-LIV [dispute]. We're trying to put the best team together." Bradley sent out invitations to the top 20 golfers in the Ryder Cup points standings, and all players who participated on either the last Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup teams. The top six golfers in the Ryder Cup standings after the BMW Championship this fall will automatically qualify for the team. Bradley will then make six captain's picks to round out the 12-man team. Scottie Scheffler, the top-ranked golfer in the world, currently leads the points list for the United States. Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, DeChambeau and Russell Henley would earn automatic bids if the race ended today, too. The only way for LIV Golf members to earn Ryder Cup points comes at the major championships. Events on the Saudi Arabian-backed league do not count. Koepka currently sits at No. 91 on the list. He is the only LIV Golf member who participated for the United States at the last Ryder Cup in 2023, when they fell to the Europeans in Rome. Bradley could end up using a captain's pick on LIV Golf members, too. Though he's not ready to figure that out now. "It could mean there's one LIV guy, two LIV guys, it doesn't matter," Bradley said. "We'll see how this year shakes out. It was really great to have them together with all the guys. It's been a while since we've been able to do that." At this point, it's likely that DeChambeau is the only LIV Golf member with a legitimate chance to qualify automatically. DeChambeau played his way into the final group at the Masters last month, though he ended up finishing T5. He will still need impressive finishes at the remaining three major championships to pull that off, however. "Look, I've got to keep playing good golf and ... Hopefully I can make it on points alone. That's the goal," DeChambeau said. "From everything I heard, [Bradley's dinner] was pretty inspirational, and I know the captain is going to be a great leader for the team, whoever he chooses and whoever makes the team. He's going to do a great job at Bethpage." The European team is in a similar qualifying position as the United States. The top six golfers in the standings after the British Masters in August will automatically make the team, and then captain Luke Donald will make his captain's picks. Rory McIlroy currently leads that race, and Shane Lowry, Rasmus Højgaard, Tyrrell Hatton, Sepp Straka and Justin Rose are all in the top six. Jon Rahm is perhaps the most notable European LIV Golf member to keep an eye on as the race tightens. Rahm, who sits in 29th in the standings, has been on the last three European teams. He declined to say whether Donald has told him about plans to select him with a captain's pick for the team this fall. 'It's his team,' Rahm said. 'Hopefully, I can qualify and we don't have to question it. I would like to think that personally I am [good enough], but it's not up to me.' The Ryder Cup will be held at Bethpage Black in New York in September.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Keegan Bradley invites LIV golfers to Ryder Cup dinner despite PGA Tour-LIV tensions
Xander Schauffele watches his tee shot on the ninth hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Jon Rahm, of Spain, waits in the rain on the driving range before a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York) Justin Thomas speaks during a news conference at the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York) Keegan Bradley hits from the bunker on the 13th hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Keegan Bradley hits from the bunker on the 13th hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Xander Schauffele watches his tee shot on the ninth hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Jon Rahm, of Spain, waits in the rain on the driving range before a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York) Justin Thomas speaks during a news conference at the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York) Keegan Bradley hits from the bunker on the 13th hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley hosted a dinner in Philadelphia last week for prospective players high on the points list. Most of them were in the field for the Truist Championship. Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau were not. Both players from Saudi-funded LIV Golf were invited to Philadelphia to join the informal dinner. DeChambeau's flight was delayed by weather, and he joined remotely. But it was another strong indication Bradley cares only about fielding the best team. Advertisement 'They were in there on points and they played on previous teams. It was great to have them there,' Bradley said Tuesday. 'This Ryder Cup and what comes with this, no one cares about what's going on in this PGA Tour-LIV. We're trying to put the best team together. It could mean there's one LIV guy, two LIV guys, it doesn't matter. We'll see how this year shakes out. 'It was really great to have them together with all the guys,' he said. 'It's been a while since we've been able to do that.' Koepka played in the 2023 matches at Marco Simone, while DeChambeau played in 2021. 'Look, I've got to keep playing good golf and ... hopefully I can make it on points alone,' DeChambeau said. Advertisement He and Koepka can only earn points in the majors. Jon Rahm, meanwhile, can earn points for the European team through the majors and European tour events he chooses to play. Rahm had not yet joined LIV Golf when Europe beat the Americans in Italy with Luke Donald as the captain. He would seem to be a lock for Europe. 'That's a question for Luke,' Rahm said. 'It's his team. Hopefully I can qualify, and we don't have to question it. I would like to think that personally I am, but it's not up to me.' Southern Hills gets another PGA Justin Thomas is back at Quail Hollow, where he won his first PGA Championship. He learned on Tuesday he will be going back to where he won his second Wanamaker Trophy. Advertisement The PGA Championship is returning to Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2032. It will be the sixth time Southern Hills has held the PGA, the most of any course, to go along with three U.S. Opens. The Perry Maxwell design — restored by Gil Hanse for the 2022 PGA Championship — has proven a strong test over the years. Only 45 players in eight major championships at Southern Hills have finished under par. Thomas tied a PGA Championship record in 2022 when he rallied from seven shots behind in the final round — including a shank on the par-3 sixth hole — and drove the par-4 17th green during a three-hole playoff he won over Will Zalatoris. Advertisement Other PGA champions at Southern Hills were Tiger Woods (2007), Nick Price (1994), Raymond Floyd (1982) and Dave Stockton (1970). All but Stockton are in the World Golf Hall of Fame. Steak and cigars ready While it's a tradition that doesn't get nearly as much attention as the Masters Club dinner at Augusta National, the PGA Championship also has a dinner for past champions. Defending champion Xander Schauffele was in charge of Tuesday night's menu, which was set to include smoked goat cheese dates, pickled watermelon, clams casino shooters and steak and bleu cheese crostini as appetizers. The main course was Wagyu New York strip steak, served with blackened jumbo shrimp, whipped sweet potatoes and a bourbon bone marrow reduction. Banana split and strawberry shortcake were for dessert. Advertisement Schauffele placed full trust in the chefs at Quail Hollow while choosing the menu, saying they haven't let him down in his previous trips to Charlotte. 'The only thing I said was sort of steak,' Schauffele said. 'I saw a lot of bleu cheese on there. I think we're kind of tweaking it a little bit, from the last of my knowledge, or making it a little bit more customized; you can have some on or not because it's sort of a really strong, you either like it or you don't thing.' As part of the tradition, Schauffele planned to give his fellow past PGA champions cigars and a humidor. 'The cigars I had input on,' Schauffele said. Advertisement Rahm and the Grand Slam Jon Rahm would love nothing more than to get a career Grand Slam. He's still two majors away — the PGA Championship and the British Open. Until he gets the third leg, his mind is more occupied with total majors instead of the collection of all four. 'I think obviously it would be a lot more on my mind if I were to win a third different one, kind of like Jordan (Spieth) has been able to do,' Rahm said. 'But right now, if I ever had a thought, I'll focus more on quantity of majors rather than which ones. 'Let's say I never achieve it,' he said. 'I'd rather have a situation like Sir Nick Faldo where he has six of two of them instead of having maybe three different ones, if that makes sense.' Advertisement Faldo won the Masters and the British Open three times each. He has the most majors of anyone who has two legs of the Grand Slam in the last 100 years. Xander Schauffele, who won the PGA Championship and British Open last year, is on the same page. 'If I win another double major, the Open and the PGA, I'm not going to cry about it,' he said. 'I'm trying to win as many as possible. The Grand Slam is obviously on the list of goals. But I'm not picky.' Scottie Scheffler thought it was 'wild' that Rory McIlroy could win the Grand Slam with five majors. Tiger Woods, however, completed the slam by winning one of each (and then 11 more), as did Gary Player, who finished with nine majors. ___ AP Sports Writer Steve Reed contributed to this report. ___ AP golf:
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Keegan Bradley hosts Ryder Cup dinner, invites LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka
Keegan Bradley is starting to get his Ryder Cup team together. The U.S. Ryder Cup captain held a dinner for prospective members of his team this fall last week at the Truist Championship in Philadelphia. He didn't hesitate to include LIV Golf members at that dinner, either. Advertisement Bradley confirmed on Tuesday ahead of the PGA Championship that he invited both Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. DeChambeau ran into travel issues and didn't make it, but he still participated virtually. "We invited Brooks and Bryson, and they were in there on points, and they played on previous teams," Bradley said at Quail Hollow Club in North Carolina, via ESPN. "It was great to have them there. This Ryder Cup and what comes with this, no one cares about what's going on in this side PGA Tour-LIV [dispute]. We're trying to put the best team together." Bradley sent out invitations to the top 20 golfers in the Ryder Cup points standings, and all players who participated on either the last Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup teams. The top six golfers in the Ryder Cup standings after the BMW Championship this fall will automatically qualify for the team. Bradley will then make six captain's picks to round out the 12-man team. Scottie Scheffler, the top-ranked golfer in the world, currently leads the points list for the United States. Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, DeChambeau and Russell Henley would earn automatic bids if the race ended today, too. The only way for LIV Golf members to earn Ryder Cup points comes at the major championships. Events on the Saudi Arabian-backed league do not count. Koepka currently sits at No. 91 on the list. He is the only LIV Golf member who participated for the United States at the last Ryder Cup in 2023, when they fell to the Europeans in Rome. Advertisement Bradley could end up using a captain's pick on LIV Golf members, too. Now, though, he's not ready to figure that out. "It could mean there's one LIV guy, two LIV guys, it doesn't matter," Bradley said. "We'll see how this year shakes out. It was really great to have them together with all the guys. It's been a while since we've been able to do that." At this point, it's likely that DeChambeau is the only LIV Golf member with a legitimate chance to qualify automatically. DeChambeau played his way into the final group at the Masters last month, though he ended up finishing T5. He will still need impressive finishes at the remaining three major championships to pull that off, however. "Look, I've got to keep playing good golf and, hopefully, I can make it on points alone. That's the goal," DeChambeau said. "From everything I heard, [the dinner] was pretty inspirational, and I know the captain is going to be a great leader for the team, whoever he chooses and whoever makes the team. He's going to do a great job at Bethpage." What about the Europeans? The European team is in a similar qualifying position as the United States. The top six golfers in the standings after the British Masters in August will automatically make the team, and then captain Luke Donald will make his captain's picks. Advertisement Rory McIlroy currently leads that race , and Shane Lowry, Rasmus Højgaard, Tyrrell Hatton, Sepp Straka and Justin Rose are all in the top six. Jon Rahm is perhaps the most notable European LIV Golf member to keep an eye on as the race tightens. Rahm, who sits in 29th in the standings, has been on the last three European teams. He declined to say whether Donald has told him about plans to select him with a captain's pick for the team this fall. 'It's his team,' Rahm said. 'Hopefully, I can qualify and we don't have to question it. I would like to think that personally I am [good enough], but it's not up to me.' The Ryder Cup will be held at Bethpage Black in New York in September.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
At Ryder Cup dinner, Keegan Bradley said 'no one cares' about PGA Tour-LIV feud
Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley hosted a dinner for potential players one week ago in Philadelphia. Golf Channel's Todd Lewis reported last week that the list of invitees included the current top 20 on the Ryder Cup qualifying list, members of the 2023 Ryder Cup team, the 2024 Presidents Cup team and two members from LIV Golf, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka. The players' wives and caddies were also invited. "It was great to have them there," said 38-year-old Bradley. "This Ryder Cup and what comes with this, no one cares about what's going on in this side PGA Tour-LIV. We're trying to put the best team together. Advertisement "It could mean there's one LIV guy, two LIV guys, it doesn't matter. We'll see how this year shakes out. It was really great to have them together with all the guys. It's been a while since we've been able to do that." Keegan Bradley of the United States speaks to the media prior to the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club on May 13, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Keegan Bradley 22nd on Ryder Cup points list The top six eligible players from the U.S. Ryder Cup Points list following the BMW Championship on August 17 will make the team. DeChambeau, the 2024 U.S. Open champion, is currently fifth on the points list while Koepka is 91st. Bradley will then get six captain's picks to round out the team following the 2025 Tour Championship. The 2011 PGA champion, who hasn't ruled out playing on the team, is currently 22nd on the point list. Advertisement "Right now I go about every day as the captain," said Bradley. "I don't even think about me as a player at this point. "If I get to the end of the year and I'm in that conversation, I'll change that. For now I have to operate every day as if I'm the captain and make decisions as the captain. I'm not thinking of myself as a player on the team at the moment." More: Schupak: The Keegan Bradley captaincy conundrum heats up While Bradley is undoubtedly focusing on himself this week at Quail Hollow, he can't help but notice how potential players fare with so many points up for grabs. "You see a guy, maybe a younger guy, that stands up to the pressure and can feel this," said Bradley, "this is as close as we're going to get to Bethpage in that the pressure on Sundays is a lot in a major, and you can see a lot there." This article originally appeared on Golfweek: At Ryder Cup dinner, Keegan Bradley said 'no one cares' about PGA-LIV feud
