Next week, those adversaries will be on the same team as they suit up in red, white and blue for the Ryder Cup. Managing the dynamic of their frosty relationship will be one of the biggest challenges of Steve Stricker’s captaincy — and one that he’s already laid the groundwork for — if the Americans hope to win back the cup.
Common logic says that the two will not be partners in any of the sessions, and this is a script Stricker is unlikely to deviate from. However, if it were up to Hall of Fame instructor Butch Harmon, he’d go with a different strategy.
"Hell, I'd pair them together… I'd put them out the first day, first match out."
Butch Harmon explains how he'd handle Brooks and Bryson if he were the U.S. Ryder Cup captain on this episode of "Off Course with @claudeharmonIII."
“Hell, I’d pair them together,” Harmon said on this week’s Off Course podcast. “I’d say, ‘All right boys, get your heads out of your a– and go play.’ I’d put them out the first day, first match out.
“I’d say, ‘Guys, I want you to suck it up and go win a damn point. This isn’t about you; this is about the Ryder Cup. This is about your team. This is about the red, white and blue. This is about the USA. You can have your battles next week. Right now, you guys are first out. Go get a damn point.’”
Harmon went on to add that he thinks it would actually be good for the team if DeChambeau and Koepka were to be paired together at Whistling Straits.
“I think it’d be cool,” he said.
Check out the entire Off Course with Claude Harmon podcast below.
Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.
