Photo courtesy Darron Carroll/PGA of America
THE MODERATOR: Good morning. Welcome to the 43rd Ryder Cup here at Whistling Straits. We are pleased to be joined by Bryson DeChambeau.
Welcome to your second Ryder Cup. You’ve represented your country twice previously, once in the Presidents Cup and once in a Ryder Cup in Paris. This will be your first, let’s say, home match. How much are you looking forward to being out there with the majority of fans that are on your side this time?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Well, it’s going to be fun. Every team event I’ve played in, it’s been out of the States. Being here for the first time, I guess you could say, is an exciting opportunity. It’s going to be fun to see what we can do and rile up the crowd in the right way and get us behind our backs and moving us in the direction we all want to be in, which is taking home that Cup.
Question:Ā There was a story in one of the magazines about you wrecking your hands as you get ready for long drive, and I think it led to a perception on how much you’re concentrating on this or the other. How do the two mesh, and did anyone ever question the idea of doing this right after a Ryder Cup?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: So, when I had some blisters on my hands and wrecked my hands, that was before the FedExCup Playoffs. That was that Friday before is when it happened. The story came out later after — because I was talking about it and how badly my hands hurt after that because of how much effort I was putting into it. I played pretty well during the FedExCup Playoffs. I just wished my putting and wedging was a little bit better.
Leading up into this event, I’ve put full force focus into this event, and I think part of hitting it far is some of why I am so successful and how I could utilize my length on this golf course to potential advantage.
As well as I’ve been working on my wedging and putting nonstop, as well. Thinking about how to roll it better, thinking about how to control my distances better with this new speed.
It’s definitely a delicate balance, but one that I am strictly advised pretty well on to do my absolute best in the Ryder Cup.
Question: Where is your speed right now compared with the middle of the season?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: It’s faster. It’s definitely faster. I would say hopefully I can get out on the golf course 200 miles an hour ball speed with a 45-inch driver. That would be really nice.
Again, there’s going to be certain holes it’s a huge advantage on: 10, 6, 5, 1, 2. You name it, there’s a whole list of holes where it’s going to be a huge advantage I hope if I’m hitting it in the fairway.
Question: Another sort of long drive question; you’ve told us about how you’ve been hesitant to like fully let it rip in a PGA TOUR event just because it’s stroke play. With match play if you hit a bad one it’s just one hole. Do you think you’ll do the wind-up thing this week?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, there’s certainly opportunities where that potentially could happen. If you watched the match with Phil, Tom Brady, Aaron and I, there was a couple holes where I got an extra shot and I was able to go at it, and I got to like 204 ball speed on that, which was pretty cool.
It’s a little colder here, but hopefully I can get over 200 miles an hour. That would be pretty sweet to see if they have the stats out there this week.
Question: This is the first time you’ve talked to kind of the open print media in a little while. I was wondering what has gone into that calculation and that decision making from your end.
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I think this is a team event. I’m focused on helping Team USA to a victory, and that’s honestly the reason why I’m here.
Question: How important was the reconnaissance trip here, and what happened between you and Berger last night?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Nice. Way to go, Daniel, whoever leaked that.
Going back to the reconnaissance, it was a lot of fun seeing the team here, a lot of camaraderie. We came together I think as a team really nicely during those two days and coming here this week it felt like we were prepared already, like ready to go already, which is cool.
That is something that we don’t get very often I think in Ryder Cups, going and practicing early. So just having that comfort level, that extra level of comfort of knowing the golf course already, not feeling like I have to go practice and play every day and feeling rested going into this on Friday is going to be really nice.
And then yeah, I lost in ping-pong, which kind of stinks, to Daniel. He beat me. There are obviously excuses I could make, but I won’t. I’m pretty sour about it. I’m going to get him back.
Question: Foursomes and alternate-shot, your style of play. On the outside looking in, a lot of people say you would only be a great four-ball player. If you were going to sell yourself for foursomes, how would you do that, and are you expecting or hoping to play in foursomes and alternate-shot?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I’d say first off I feel like I’m a player that can adapt to anything if I have to, and I feel like there are certain players on our team that can mesh really, really well with my game, and you guys could probably figure that out.
But there are certain players that will be a nice fit to the puzzle, if you would like to say that.
I could comfortably say that I have no issue playing either format. I think best ball has its benefits to my style of play, and alternate-shot with the right person can be pretty deadly.
Question:Ā I’m kind of curious with looking at the European side, what’s your impression of what some of the veterans like Lee Westwood and Sergio have done in this competition? I’m sure you’re probably aware their records are pretty good and they’ve played a lot of them. Obviously you just went up against Lee back in March. What’s your level of respect for what those guys have done?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I have a tremendous level of respect for the European team. They’ve obviously done incredible over the last couple decades, and we should not take it lightly. They know what to do. They know how to play, and they know how to grind it out.
I think they have a little bit more experience in match play situations growing up. I think they played it a little bit more.
But again, as we look at it, we have an amazing team that has an opportunity to do something special here this week. The team that’s been put together is one of the best, and going up against veterans like Sergio and Lee, even Rory now I would say. He’s awesome.
It’s going to be a difficult task, but one I think with the crowd behind us and having the golf course the way it is could definitely be done.
Question:Ā Will you hit driver on 14 holes, and what are the landing areas like at 325 yards?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I don’t know if I’ll hit driver on all 14 of them, depending on the wind. I think there are numerous amounts of holes that are super beneficial to me hitting driver. I think 5 is a great example if it’s the right wind. I could pretty much go right at the flag, which is cool.
It was here in the practice session and I had like 120 yards in to that green. Guys are going to be hitting it over the left maybe and having a 3-wood or hybrid in.
Up near some of the landing areas, if I’m flying it 320, 330, it gets tight in certain areas, so I probably will be hitting 3-wood or hybrid off of certain holes, depending on the wind for sure.
Question: I’ve followed you on the course a lot in the last month or so, and there’s been times when I thought the fan behavior was particularly cruel. Again, it may only be 1 percent of fans or something like that, but you’ve spent a professional lifetime playing in front of fans, so you probably have better armor than most people would, but is there any part of you that feels hurt at what’s happened lately?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I mean, no matter what, we’re all humans at the end of the day, and I think there’s obviously a level of, I guess you could say, control that any human will ever have, and you can have a lot of armor and you can protect yourself with people around you and all that.
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 recognize 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 U.S. home soil.
Question: Have you made efforts to end the feud with Brooks, and if so, how has that gone?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: You know, again, a lot of this social media stuff has definitely been driven by a lot of external factors, not necessarily us two. We had a great — 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.
Question: Maybe related to the previous question, you’ve got kind of a controversial reputation. Do you see this as an opportunity if things go well for you and your team to change the perception of you as a player and as a person?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Look, I’m not trying to change anybody’s perception. 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.
For me, again, 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.
Again, I’m now doing stuff on TikTok and Instagram and YouTube, just doing 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.
Question: If you deliver four or five points for the American team, do you expect you’ll get less grief than some fans have been giving you?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Look, I’m going to try to get as many points as I can, and I think yeah, that could potentially change it for sure. There’s always going to be people saying things no matter what it is. Even if I do something — if I make a hole-in-one on every single hole out here, there’s always going to be people saying something.
I’m not worried about it. I still love and respect them. I understand they have their opinions and whatnot and I respect those opinions, I see their points of view. But for me, again, taking it back and looking back, this is about — this isn’t about me. This is about the team going and winning the Ryder Cup.
Question: I was going to ask you about Scottie. You guys are going out in practice today. How far back do you go with him as far as relationship wise, and what are your thoughts on his game?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I’ll say in college. He was at Texas, and we played a little bit, didn’t we, just a few events. A lot of amateur tournaments. A lot of U.S. Amateurs. We never really, I guess you could say, practiced a lot together, whatnot, but we always knew how good each other were. We always worked hard.
I saw his game. It was unbelievable growing up. He won the U.S. Junior Amateur. I saw that and I was like, Man, this kid is a stud. As time has gone on he’s gotten better and better and better, and his wedge game and putting is incredible. It’s with the best of them.
His long iron game is incredible, and his driving is solid, too. He is an all-around player, and I expect nothing but the best from him in future years. He’s going to win a lot of tournaments and it is going to be fun to watch and see what he can do out on TOUR.