Getty Image
The United States is looking to retain the Ryder Cup when the 2023 edition kicks off this week at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome.
But it’ll have to do so without the massive drives of 2020 US Open champ Bryson Dechambeau.
Dechambeau lost all three matches he played in at the 2018 Ryder Cup when the US was blown out at Le Golf National in France. But he redeemed himself in 2021, going 2-0-1 to help the stars and stripes bring the cup back home.
This time, however, he’s on the outside looking in after leaving the PGA Tour for the LIV Golf Series and not getting a picked by team captain Zach Johnson.
Dechambeau’s exclusion wasn’t a huge surprise. He finished the cycle 54th in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings. But many felt he could get the call based on name brand alone.
Brooks Koepka was the lone LIV Golf player to get the call from Johnson, something that Dechambeau says stung.
“Brooks is obviously going to kill it for Team USA next week,” he said. “but yeah, it definitely does sting a little bit.”
Dechambeau also seemed unhappy with the way that Johnson handled the selection process.
“It would have been nice to at least just have a call,” DeChambeau said at his champions’ media conference after winning his second LIV Golf event on Sunday in Chicago. “There’s numerous people that I think Zach should have called out here, and we didn’t get that.”
The US is considered by most as the favorite to win or retain the cup in Rome. But the upstart Europe squad, including young Swedish star Ludvig Aberg, is plenty dangerous.
The event begins on Friday with both foursomes and four ball matchups and continues throughout the weekend. The US holds a 24-9-2 Ryder Cup record all-time.