Keegan Bradley aiming to ‘bring unity’ by hosting Ryder Cup dinner | Golf Today | Golf Channel

Todd Lewis joins Golf Today to discuss U.S. captain Keegan Bradley hosting a dinner for prospective Ryder Cup members, including LIV players Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka. #GolfChannel #GolfToday #RyderCup
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Keegan Bradley aiming to ‘bring unity’ by hosting Ryder Cup dinner | Golf Today | Golf Channel
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QUALIFYING PROCESS TO SHAKE OUT WITH MORE ON THE U.S. SQUAD LET’S SAY HELLO TO TODD LEWIS. HAS A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION ON TEAM USA. >> YEAH, DAMON, TONIGHT IS A BIG NIGHT FOR KEEGAN BRADLEY AND THE UNITED STATES RYDER CUP TEAM BECAUSE TONIGHT KEEGAN BRADLEY HERE IN PHILADELPHIA WILL BE HOSTING A DINNER FOR PLAYERS THAT WILL LIKELY BE ON HIS RYDER CUP TEAM THAT COMPETE AT BETHPAGE. INVITED THE CURRENT TOP 20 PLAYERS IN THE UNITED STATES RYDER CUP STANDINGS, ALSO INVITEDS ARE MEMBERS OF THE 2023 RYDER CUP TEAM THAT LOST IN ROME AND LAST YEAR’S UNITED STATES TEAM THAT COMPETED FOR THE PRESIDENTS CUP AT ROYAL MONTREAL. THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT PLAYERS THAT WILL BE THERE AND ONE THAT WILL NOT BE THERE. AS FOR THOSE WHO WILL BE THERE, NOT ONLY THOSE PLAYERS I MENTIONED THAT ARE INVITED BUT THERE ARE A COUPLE OF PLAYERS THAT PLAY ON LIV GOLF THAT WILL MAKE THE TRIP UP TO PHILADELPHIA TO BE A PART OF THIS DINNER TONIGHT. THOSE ARE BROOKS KOEPKA AND BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU, SO THEY WILL BE MEETING TONIGHT AND HAVING DINNER WITH KEEGAN BRADLEY AND POSSIBLE TEAMMATES FOR THE UNITED STATES RYDER CUP TEAM. ONE PLAYER THAT WILL NOT BE THERE TONIGHT IS WORLD NUMBER ONE SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER. NOW, SCHEFFLER IS NOT PLAYING THIS WEEK IN THE TRUIST CHAMPIONSHIP AND TALKED TO KEEGAN BRADLEY ABOUT THE ABSENCE OF SCHEFFLER AND SAID I TALKED TO SCOTTIE ABOUT THIS AND HE UNDERSTANDS HE WANTS TO SPEND TIME WITH HIS FAMILY PRIOR TO TRAVELING TO CHARLOTTE TO COMPETE IN THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP SO HE HAS AN EXCUSED ABSENCE. AND KEEGAN IS VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS EVENING AND KIND OF BRINGING UNITY TO THIS TEAM AS THEY GET READY TO TRY TO WIN IT AT BETHPAGE. GUYS. >> TODD, I HOPE KEEGAN IS PROBABLY GOING TO NEED A GOOD WEEK TO PICK UP THE TAB FOR THIS DINNER. HE’S ALSO IN THE MIX AS A POTENTIAL PLAYER ON HIS OWN TEAM AND HASN’T RULED THAT OUT. YOU GET ANY SENSE HE’S STRUGGLING TO BALANCE THE DEMANDS OF THE CAPTAINCY AND THE DESIRE TO PLAY AND PLAY AT A HIGH LEVEL? >> WELL, I THINK IT’S NATURAL, EAMON, FOR KEEGAN BRADLEY TO STRUGGLE WITH THAT MANY MANAGEMENT. HE’S TOLD ME WHEN HE’S HERE AT THE GOLF COURSE PREPARING FOR AN EVENT OR COMPETING IN AN EVENT ON THE PGA TOUR, OBVIOUSLY HIS FOCUS IS THERE. AND WHEN HE STEPS OFF PROPERTY THEN HE PUTS ANOTHER HAT ON AS THE RYDER CUP CAPTAIN BUT THAT IS VERY CHALLENGING TO COMPARTMENTALIZE. WHEN I TALKED TO HIM ABOUT THE DINNER HE GOT EMOTIONAL ABOUT HOW EXCITED HE IS TO STAND IN FRONT OF THAT ROOM AND LOOK AT ALL THESE GREAT PLAYERS AND UNDERSTAND THAT THEY HAVE GREAT FRIENDSHIPS AND SOMETHING THAT HE DIDN’T REALLY HAVE EARLY IN HIS CAREER, HE DIDN’T MAKE A LOT OF FRIENDSHIPS OUT ON THE PGA TOUR. HE KIND OF SAW HIS COMPETING PLAYERS AS ENEMIES, BUT HE LOVES THAT NOW. HE’S REALLY BOUGHT INTO THAT AND HE’S GOING TO USE THAT POWER TO TRY TO BRING THIS TEAM TOGETHER BUT AT THE SAME TIME AS YOU MENTIONED, HE WOULD LOVE TO QUALIFY FOR THIS TEAM. HE WOULD LOVE TO MAKE THIS TEAM HIMSELF AND TO AUTOMATICALLY QUALIFY, YES, HE SAID IF HE AUTOMATICALLY QUALIFIES HE WILL PLAY. NOW, LET’S SAY HYPOTHETICALLY HE FINISHES SEVENTH, EIGHTH, NINTH, TENTH, MAYBE IN THE STANDINGS ONCE THE QUALIFICATION PROCESS IS OVER. HE DID SAY THAT IF THAT HAPPENS, HE WILL TALK TO THE SIX THAT DID QUALIFY, GET A SENSE OF THEIR FEELINGS ABOUT HIM BEING A PLAYING CAPTAIN ON THE TEAM AND THEN MAKE A DECISION FROM THERE. BUT TONIGHT IS, AGAIN, GOING TO BE A SPECIAL NIGHT FOR KEEGAN BRADLEY BUT HE IS GOING TO COME OUT HERE HOPEFULLY AND HAVE HIS FOCUS ON TRYING TO COMPETE TO WIN THE TRUIST CHAMPIONSHIP. >> T.I’M EXCITED ABOUT THIS. THERE COULD BE AWKWARDNESS AMONG PROFESSIONAL GOLFERS IN THIS SPLINTERED ERA THAT WE LIVE IN. YOU MENTIONED BRYSON AND BROOKS, DO YOU THINK ANY HARD FEELINGS WILL BE PUSHED TO THE SIDE BECAUSE THEY’RE ALL PLAYING FOR THE RED, WHITE, AND BLUE OR COULD THERE BE SOME HURT FEELINGS AND SOME AWKWARD SILENCES AT THIS DINNER? >> WELL, I THINK — LET’S START WITH BROOKS KOEPKA. BROOKS WAS PART OF THE 2023 TEAM. HE LIVES IN SOUTH FLORIDA IN THE JUPITER AREA WHERE MOST OF THE PLAYERS THAT ARE ON THAT TEAM LIVE. SO HE HAS A FAMILIARITY WITH A LOT OF PLAYERS, ELITE PLAYERS THAT WILL BE AT THIS DINNER TONIGHT AND REALLY HASN’T TRIED TO TRASH THE PGA TOUR IN THEIR LONG, THEIR NOW LONG BATTLE AGAINST EACH OTHER AND SEE IF THEY COME TOGETHER OR NOT, SO I DON’T REALLY SEE BROOKS BEING A PROBLEM AND FOR THAT MATTER, ALTHOUGH BRYSON HAD SOME FRICTION WHEN HE LEFT THE PGA TOUR TO GO TO LIV GOLF, THERE WAS TENSION IT SEEMED LIKE BETWEEN HIM AND THE PGA PLAYERS, THAT SEEMS TO HAVE ERODED AND THERE’S A COUPLE OF REASONS WHY. I THINK BRYSON IS A LITTLE MORE RECEPTIVE, NOT ONLY TO THE AUDIENCE BUT TO THE CURRENT PGA TOUR PLAYERS. HE’S TRYING TO MAKE HIMSELF AMICABLE, LIKABLE. IN OTHER WORDS, HE’S PUTTING THE WORK IN TO TRY TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN AND, SECONDLY, AND MAYBE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT JUST LIKE THAT LIAM NEESON CHARACTER IN “TAKEN,” HE HAS A PARTICULAR SET OF SKILLS THAT REALLY CAN BENEFIT IN TEAM PLAY, CONSIDERING HOW FAR HE HITS THE BALL. HE’S GOING TO BE GREAT IN GREAT FORMATS AND THEY SEE THE TALENT THAT HE HAS. I MEAN, LAST YEAR, THREE TOP TENS IN FOUR MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS INCLUDING A VICTORY AT THE U.S. OPEN AND PLAYED WELL AT THE MASTERS THIS YEAR, SO THEY WOULD LOVE TO HAVE HIM TEE IT UP FOR THE RED, WHITE, AND BLUE AT BETHPAGE. >> LIAM NEESON, VERY GOOD IN STRESSFUL SITUATIONS AND BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU HAS BEEN, AS WELL. GREAT REPORTING FROM THE CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE. YOUR REACTION TO THIS DINNER? I THINK IT’S A GREAT IDEA. GET OUT IN FRONT OF IT. GET IT DONE EARLY. GET THE GUYS IN THE ROOM. GET THEM — PUT SOME MUSIC ON, SOME MAYBE NBC RYDER CUP MUSIC, SOME, RED, WHITE AND BLUE, DO WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET EVERYBODY TOGETHER, ANY AWKWARDNESS OUT OF THE WAY AND GET ON THE SAME PAGE FOR ONE GOAL. >> AND PAST CAPTAINS HAVE DONE THAT, AS WELL. ZACH JOHNSON HAD DINNERS WITH HIS GUYS BEFORE THE RYDER CUP IN ROME. I DON’T THINK THERE’S GOING TO BE ANY AWKWARDNESS ON ANY INDIVIDUAL LEVEL. THESE GUYS HAVE PLAYED TEAM GOLF TOGETHER, CERTAINLY DIDN’T PLAY THE PRESIDENTS CUP TOGETHER LAST YEAR, BUT YOU WOULD EXPECT THAT KOEPKA AND DeCHAMBEAU WOULD BE INVITED BECAUSE THEY WOULD POTENTIALLY QUALIFY FOR A RYDER CUP. INTERESTING TO SEE IF IT’S A CAPTAIN’S PICK SCENARIO OR IS IT A QUALIFICATION SCENARIO BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE THAT MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO EARN POINTS ON LIV OR OUTSIDE OF THAT ECOSYSTEM AND IT’S AN INTERESTING SCENARIO THAT KEEGAN FINDS HIMSELF IN, BECAUSE THERE’S A LOT OF DEPTH AT THE TOP OF HIS TEAM IN THAT FIRST SIX. >> RIGHT. >> ONCE YOU GET BEYOND THAT THERE’S A LOT OF GUYS IN THE MIX RIGHT NOW WHO DON’T HAVE EXPERIENCE AND WE JUST SAW SOME OF THE QUALIFIERS THERE BUT YOU’VE GOT ANDREW NOVAK IN THERE. YOU GOT MAVERICK McNEALY, RUSSELL HENLEY IN THE TOP SIX, PLAYED THE PRESIDENTS CUP LAST YEAR, HAS NEVER PLAYED A RYDER CUP AND PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE WHO HAS PLAYED IT SAYS IT IS A DIFFERENT ANIMAL WHEN YOU GET OUT THERE REPRESENTING YOUR FLAG IN THAT SCENARIO ON THE FIRST TEE. IT’S CERTAINLY GOING TO BE AT BETHPAGE BLACK SO I THINK IT’LL BE AN INTERESTING DILEMMA, KEEGAN IS GOING TO FIND HIMSELF IN, BECAUSE HE MIGHT NEED THE EXPERIENCE OF A KOEPKA OR DeCHAMBEAU WHEN IT COMES TO BETHPAGE BLACK EVEN IF THEY’RE NOT AUTOMATICALLY IN THE TOP SIX OR 12. >> HIS FOCUS AND COMPETITIVENESS AS A PLAYER WILL LEND TO SOME GREAT STRENGTHS AS A CAPTAIN AND I THINK WHEN HE DOES TAN IN FRONT OF THE ROOM TONIGHT WITH THOSE PLAYERS, I THINK THAT WILL BE LEAPING OFF HIS BODY THAT EMOTION, AND I THINK ANY LITTLE NITPICKING OR DISAPPOINTMENT OR, YOU KNOW, BICKERING OF THE PAST, WHEN YOU’RE LOOKING AT A TERRI-EYED KEEGAN BRADLEY TALKING ABOUT REPRESENTING HIS COUNTRY AND BEING THE CAPTAIN, I THINK THAT’S GOING TO MAKE THOSE GUYS WANT TO RUN THROUGH A WALL FOR HIM. >> AND KEEGAN HAS A PAST CLOSE FRIENDSHIP, FOR INSTANCE, WITH PHIL MICKELSON THAT HAS SURVIVED MICKELSON GOING TO LIV AND LITIGATING AGAINST THE TOUR AS WELL SO WHATEVER HARD FEELINGS HAVE EXISTED IN THE