Ben Griffin’s first taste of Ryder Cup action was no gentle introduction, as Keegan Bradley paired him with Bryson DeChambeau for Friday afternoon’s session at Bethpage Black.
Across the first two days, Griffin was one of four teammates partnered with DeChambeau, but it was not a week to remember for the LIV Golf player.
Advertisement
DeChambeau collected just 1.5 points from his five matches, though he did stage an impressive comeback on Sunday to halve his match against Matthew Fitzpatrick.
That loss had immediate repercussions for Griffin. After being edged out on the final hole by Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose, Griffin did not play at all on Saturday.
Ben Griffin reflects on pairing with Bryson DeChambeau at the Ryder Cup
Photo By Vaughn Ridley/Sportsfile via Getty Images
Griffin may have missed out on Saturday’s play, but looking back on his time with DeChambeau, he said there were plenty of positives to take away from their partnership.
The 29-year-old stated: “I started messaging and getting to know Bryson in the summer leading up to the Ryder Cup. And once I was on the team we got a little bit closer because we knew we were going to play together.
Advertisement
“We played every practice round together that week. We got to know each other more in Napa, even though he wasn’t playing the tournament. I knew what to expect, I knew he was going to bring some firepower, I knew he was going to bring some energy. I was staying in my lane for the most part, but also embracing the energy that he was bringing to it, so it was really cool. I really enjoyed playing with Bryson.
“He was an awesome teammate and awesome player obviously. It was pretty fun to be out there inside the ropes with him, hitting it as far as he was doing and trying to drive the green on one. It was a pretty cool experience, and I think we had a good team between the two of us, it’s just up against Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood, it was pretty difficult that week. They were both on their A+ game, and me and Bryson maybe didn’t quite have our A games.”
USA still unsure how to use Bryson DeChambeau after another disappointing Ryder Cup
DeChambeau came into the Ryder Cup with expectations of being a difference-maker for the US. Left out of the 2023 defeat in Rome, he has since reshaped his game and found form on some of golf’s biggest stages.
Advertisement
Since joining LIV Golf in 2022, most players on both sides have only seen him compete in majors, adding an element of unpredictability to his inclusion.
Bradley made a bold move by sending him out first on Friday morning, but DeChambeau ended up on the losing side three times.
Notably, he became the first player in 40 years to play with four different partners over the first two days.
This presents a challenge for the next US captain ahead of Adare Manor in 2027.
Griffin and DeChambeau had every reason to be a strong pair. The 29-year-old had already secured two PGA Tour wins and finished second behind Scottie Scheffler at both The Memorial and Procore Championship earlier that year.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, Europe is expected to rely again on established pairs like Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, as well as Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. The US team heads to Adare Manor still uncertain about how best to deploy DeChambeau and Scheffler.
Read more:
Read the full article here
