Ryder Cup: Bryson DeChambeau not fazed by fans

Bryson DeChambeau insists that he won’t let fans get under his skin at this week’s Ryder Cup.

The world No.7 has been singled out for special treatment from section of the galleries at tournaments throughout the summer, in large part due to his long-running feud with US teammate Brooks Koepka.

Earlier this month, the 2020 US Open champion was reported to have angrily confronted a fan who yelled ‘Brooksy’ at him after he lost out in a playoff for the BMW Championship. Days later, the PGA Tour announced some robust new changes to its fans’ ‘Code of Conduct’ policy to guard against players being abused or harassed by spectators.

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What kind of reception DeChambeau will get from the crowds at Whistling Strait this week has been the subject of some conjecture, with US Ryder Cup supporters known for being particularly vocal.

However, whether he is warmly received or otherwise, DeChambeau insists his sole focus is on securing as many point for Steve Stricker’s side as he can.

“I’m not going to make this about me again,” said the 28-year-old. “This is a team
event. I’ve got a brass chest. I’ve taken a lot of heat. But I’m okay
with it, and I understand I’m in the place where I’m at, and it’s going
to be that way moving forward.

“I recognise it and all I’m going to do is my absolute best to
show people who I truly am, and whatever people think about me is not
important. It’s about the team this week. It’s about riling us all up
and getting that Ryder Cup back here on US home soil.”

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Addressing the print section of the media for the first time since early August, DeChambeau conceded recent events had taken their toll on him.

“No matter what, we’re all humans at the end of the day, and I think there’s obviously a level of, I guess you could say, control that any human will ever have, and you can have a lot of armour and you can protect yourself with people around you and all that.

“Sure, there are times where it’s not comfortable, but there’s also times where it fuels me. I think this week is going to be an amazing example of it, and it’s going to be fun to be able to have the crowd behind us and pump them up and show them what I can hopefully do and what we can do as a team more importantly.”

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As far his relationship with teammate Koepka is concerned, DeChambeau hinted that there might be something at something big on the horizon.

“A lot of this social media stuff has definitely been driven by a lot of external factors, not necessarily us two,” he said. “We had some great conversations during Tour Championship week when we had dinner, and then this week, as well. I sat down and had dinner with him last night, and it was fine.

“I think there may be something fun coming up here moving forward, but won’t speak too much more on that.”