These three Bethpage-bound stars will skip the Ryder Cup warm-up – here’s why
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Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau and Sepp Straka are the only three of the 24 that will not get competitive reps ahead of the Bethpage showdown.
A lot was made after the 2023 Ryder Cup about how much sharper the Europeans looked in Rome. Luke Donald’s charges arrived in the Italian capital off the back of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth two weeks prior and hit the ground running.
In contrast, the American team crossed the Atlantic to defend their trophy having not teed up competitively since the FedEx Cup finale at East Lake five weeks prior.
And how it showed.
Europe swept the first session and never really looked like being beaten before eventually completing a comfortable five-point victory over their bitter rivals.
It’s little surprise, then, that American captain Keegan Bradley was eager not to make the same mistake ahead of the 45th playing of the biennial matches at Bethpage.
With the Procore Championship the only event on the PGA Tour schedule between the Tour Championship and Ryder Cup, and falling precisely between the two, it has been seen as the perfect way to keep the competitive fire burning for Team USA.
But only 10 of Bradley’s 12 are in the field…
Why is Bryson DeChambeau not playing in the Procore Championship?
Bryson DeChambeau misses out because he is part of the LIV Golf roster and is therefore ineligible to compete.
It was a turn of events that left captain Bradley fuming with the PGA Tour.
But having attended the Walker Cup at nearby Cypress Point at the weekend, DeChambeau headed north to join the rest of the team for bonding dinner in Napa.
Why is Xander Schauffele not playing in the Procore Championship?
Two-time major champion Xander Schauffele is also not at the Silverado Resort.
Schauffele endured something of a frustrating campaign in 2025. After a sublime 2024 in which he won two of the four majors on offer, he was hindered in the early part of this year by injury.
On his return, he struggled to find the same kind of form that helped him get the major monkey off his back but still enjoyed top-10 finishes at the Masters, the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open.
Given his slow start, though, Schauffele failed to book his spot in the Tour Championship at East Lake, meaning it will have been six weeks since he struck a ball in anger when he pegs it up in New York.
But he does have a good reason after it was revealed by the Associated Press that his wife, Maya, recently gave birth to their first child – a boy they named Victor.
Why is Sepp Straka not playing in the BMW PGA Championship?
Meanwhile, at Wentworth, Sepp Straka is the only member of the European team not teeing up in the BMW PGA Championship.
The Austrian pulled out of last month’s BMW Championship, the second of the PGA Tour’s three FedEx Cup Playoffs, for “personal reasons” before going on to finish 30th out of 30 in the Tour Championship.
Captain Donald was later asked for clarification.
“Everything is okay,” he said. “I don’t think an official announcement has been made, but him and his wife welcomed their baby a few weeks ago, prematurely.
“Everything is going extremely well with their baby, but he just doesn’t want to be so far away. I think that’s only fair.
“I’ve had many conversations with Sepp. He’s very motivated, and he’s going to be continuing to work hard on his game. He’ll join us for the practice trip, but that’s the reason why he won’t be at Wentworth.”
The European team will head straight to Bethpage on Monday for a two-day reconnaissance of the infamous Black course.
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Sepp Straka, Bryson DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele are the only Ryder Cup players not competing ahead of the Bethpage showdown.
