Bryson DeChambeau is about to make his third Ryder Cup appearance in less than a week, and one of his most unforgettable memories from the event has nothing to do with his past performances. Instead, it is about something far more surreal and a surprising role reversal that left him questioning reality.
In a recent YouTube video posted by the official Ryder Cup account, DeChambeau was asked to share his fondest Ryder Cup memories, specifically from his first Ryder Cup appearance in 2018. While his mind instantly went to the thrill of being paired with Tiger Woods, it was a completely unexpected moment with Phil Mickelson that stood out the most. It wasn’t a clutch putt or a fist bump. It was Mickelson — a Ryder Cup veteran and one of the most successful players in the history of the game — asking him for a pep talk.
“Oh, yeah. And then another one was Phil Mickelson,” DeChambeau’s eyes lit when he remembered. “He wasn’t playing that great then, and he goes, ‘Bry, I just need a pep talk right now. You need to give me a pep talk.’ As a veteran, the second most winning golfer in our era — like, for me to give him a pep talk down the third fairway — I was like, ‘This is so wrong.’ The roles have been reversed! What’s going on? That was nuts,” he exclaimed.
It’s not every day that a young star like DeChambeau, who made his Ryder Cup debut in 2018 at Le Golf National in Paris, finds himself taking the role of a mentor to a golf legend like Mickelson, who by then had 11 appearances and 45 matches under his belt in the Ryder Cup. Phil Mickelson made his Ryder Cup debut in 1995, and, until 2018, boasted an impressive record of 18-22-7. But still, regardless of his experiences, Mickelson asking DeChambeau for a quick pep talk to ease up his nerves speaks volumes about the Ryder Cup’s unique atmosphere — where experience and egos take a back seat to team spirit and shared goals.
The duo was paired together in the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National in Paris in a foursomes match, and unfortunately, they lost their match 5&4 to Sergio Garcia and Alex Noren. That year, Team U.S.A. ultimately lost to Europe, 17.5 to 10.5, with DeChambeau losing all his matches. But despite the scoreline, the moment with Mickelson left a lasting impression on him, not because of the loss, but because of the human side it revealed.
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Now preparing for his third Ryder Cup appearance, DeChambeau comes into the event after four years with a much more established resume. His current Ryder Cup record stands at 2-3-1, and Bryson DeChambeau was the final automatic qualifier for the U.S. team, racking up 10,774 points thanks to a strong season that featured three top-10 finishes in majors. He finished 2nd at the PGA Championship, 5th at the Masters, and 10th at The Open, where he shot a stellar 64 on the final day. He did miss the cut at Oakmont, but luckily, it didn’t hamper his chances to play at Bethpage this time.
Bryson DeChambeau is the only LIV player on the team
Bryson DeChambeau enters this year’s Ryder Cup as the only LIV Golf player on Team USA — a unique position that could’ve made for awkward dynamics in the locker room. Everyone knows the stance PGA Tour players have with the Saudi-backed league, but for DeChambeau, national pride outweighs any tour affiliations. To him, the Ryder Cup isn’t about LIV vs. PGA — it’s about coming together to represent the United States. He made it clear that personal affiliations take a backseat to team goals in a recent Instagram update — “This is their show as well, not mine, it’s our show,” he said. “It’s what we’re gonna do to win the Ryder Cup. That’s it.”
He even made it clear that he doesn’t care who he’s paired with, emphasizing that the only thing that matters is winning for the United States. “I don’t want it to feel like, ‘Oh, I’m playing with this person or that person,’ or what I want it to be. We’re a team. We’re here to win. We’re here to dominate,” he added. His mindset sets a strong tone, one that prioritizes the nation’s flag above all else and sets aside personal ego. As the lone LIV representative, DeChambeau seems determined to prove that chemistry, character, and commitment to country can overcome any divide.
