Keegan Bradley has confirmed Bryson DeChambeau will be part of his Ryder Cup team, even if he fails to qualify automatically.
The US golf star is currently fifth in the Team USA qualification rankings, with the top six securing automatic qualification for the showdown between Europe and the USA in September.
Beyond this, the remaining six players are selected by team captain Bradley, with DeChambeau currently in a strong position to book his spot at Bethpage Black on his own terms.
This could change though, with the two-time major champion unable to earn any more points before the August 17 qualification deadline due to his participation on the LIV Golf tour.
PGA Tour players still have four more events in which they can attempt to qualify, and more points will be at stake in the first two FedEx Cup play-off events in August.
But DeChambeau has now received a major vote of confidence, as Bradley revealed he would be on his team no matter what.
Bradley, who finished tied-for-30th at this weekend’s Open Championship, confirmed the 31-year-old’s selection in a text message sent to US publication Sports Illustrated.
The message read: “Bryson is going to be a very important piece to us winning the Ryder Cup.
“He brings so much. He brings energy, passion but most importantly, he’s one of the best players on the planet.”
Even without Bradley’s guarantee, DeChambeau did his Ryder Cup hopes no harm with a fine display at the Open.
Despite a horror start which saw him card a seven-over-par 78 in the first round, he produced an impressive fightback from then on.
DeChambeau responded by going 17-under-par over the final three rounds, and posted a final-round 64 on Sunday at Royal Portrush to finish T10, as Scottie Scheffler lifted the Claret Jug.
The American’s final score means he has now finished inside the top 10 at three of the four majors this year.
And while his position among Team USA’s automatic qualifiers for the Ryder Cup is encouraging for now, DeChambeau will certainly be relieved to receive reassurances from Bradley.
There is no shortage of competition for places in the US camp, with Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, JJ Spaun, Russell Henley, Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa all also considered shoe-ins.
Beyond this, there are five more places to share between Bradley himself, Open runner-up Harris English, and Chris Gotterup, Wyndham Clark, Ben Griffin, Maverick McNealy, Brian Harman, Andrew Novak, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns.
And after his strong display at Portrush, DeChambeau was asked if he had spoken to Bradley over the course of the major, where he revealed his captain had written a personal note for each of the American contenders.
He said: “He put something in our lockers, that was pretty inspirational,” before adding: “It meant a lot.”
The golf star also vowed to bring plenty of character to Team USA if selected, with the Americans bidding to exact revenge on Europe after their dominant win in Rome in 2023.
DeChambeau said: “I hope I can bring a lot of energy and a tsunami of a crowd that’s going to be rooting for Team USA.
“This year’s no joke. We’re tired of it. We’re tired of losing.”
With DeChambeau’s place on the team now all but confirmed, he looks set to make his return to Ryder Cup action after missing out on the 2023 edition following his switch to LIV Golf the year before.
One player who is likely to miss out on a spot in Bradley’s team is former world number one Dustin Johnson, who currently sits a lowly 101st on the Team USA rankings.
The two-time major winner, who also competes on the LIV Golf circuit, discussed his disappointment over his likely omission with the Athletic ahead of the Open last week.
Johnson said: “Believe me, I would love to play on the Ryder Cup team.
“Obviously, the Ryder Cup is one of my favourite events on the planet. So, yeah, it’s going to suck watching it from home.”