Former PGA Tour pro turned Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee says Europe want to win the Ryder Cup more.
The clash between Team USA and Europe will take place from 26-28 September at Bethpage Black in New York.
Team captains Luke Donald and Keegan Bradley have completed their rosters, with both recently announcing their captain’s picks.
As we wait for the first match to be played, there will be plenty of speculation about pairings and predictions as to who will win.
The US are heavy favourites, such is the dominance of home teams since the Miracle at Medinah in 2012.
Chamblee, 63, simply believes the Europeans ‘want it more’ as they are willing to play for free.
Bradley‘s US team will be paid $500,00 each, with $300,000 of that sum going to charity.
Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay
The controversial analyst said he saw a key difference when both skippers confirmed their wild cards.
“I’ve got to admit though, when I was watching it live, they did look like they were all in hostage videos, every one of them,” Chamblee told his podcast.
“They looked sad, like their dog had just died. They did.
“The Europeans, they had the benefit of probably seeing all of the posts and were like, ‘we’re going to give the opposite view’.
Sky Sports’ Nick Dougherty aimed a cheeky dig at the US team when he spoke to Donald last week.
Added Chamblee: “People roll their eyes when you say this, but it is demonstrably true that the Europeans are more passionate about the Ryder Cup.
“It’s not to say that the US doesn’t want it. They do. But Europe wants it more.”
Jordan Spieth
Chamblee pointed to the situation surrounding Europe’s record points scorer, Sergio Garcia, who missed out on a pick from Donald.
The Spaniard exclusively told GolfMagic he was so disappointed at not representing the blue and gold once again he withdrew from the Irish Open.
“In order to be eligible and play on the Ryder Cup team, he had to pay a few million dollars in fines,” Chamblee said.
“He happily paid those fines so that he could be eligible and considered to play on the Ryder Cup team.
“So you’ve got the Europeans who will pay millions to be on the Ryder Cup team, and you’ve got the US team who’s asking to be paid just to play on the Ryder Cup team.
“Nothing to me screams ‘we want it more, we’re more passionate’ than that. That tells the story of both sides.
“One side will pay to play on it. The other side wants to be paid to play on it. And I think that’s the difference.”
Chamblee predicts who Bryson DeChambeau will be paired with
LIV Golf recruit Bryson DeChambeau returns to the biggest stage in golf at the 2025 Ryder Cup.
DeChambeau has a mixed record in the contest, with the 2024 US Open champion twice tasting defeat in the foursomes.
Should Bradley bench DeChambeau in that format? It would seem perplexing.
Chamblee said: “I think Bryson DeChambeau will be hard to pair with.
“I believe Cameron Young plays a similar golf ball, if not the exact the golf ball.
“But just the style of golf Bryson plays has proved difficult to pair with in the Ryder Cup. His record clearly shows that.
“Oh my gosh, if they can find a partner with him, why wouldn’t he play all five? But early matches will set the tone.
Bryson DeChambeau
“If they find somebody that he pairs nicely with and he gets out there. But I’m curious to see how they set up the golf course.
“If there’s no rough – and previous Ryder Cups when the US is at home, they set the golf courses with typically little rough – I’m not so sure with the exception of Bryson DeChambeau, that that’s a huge advantage, because US players have gotten straighter over the years.
“It used to be Phil and Tiger hit it all over the place, and then there would be Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka and Bubba Watson, they were all over the place.
“So they would set it up with no rough and that would give them the advantage on top of home course, home country advantage, which is worth two points.
“I don’t know that they have that advantage, except with Bryson DeChambeau.”