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THE RYDER CUP

September 25, 2018

Bryson DeChambeau

Guyancourt, France

MICHAEL GIBBONS: Bryson, your first Ryder Cup. How are you enjoying the week so far?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: It's awesome. No other words to describe it than awesome. Just to be a part of the team and the atmosphere, it's certainly something special and something that I'll never forget in my lifetime, that's for sure.

MICHAEL GIBBONS: With a name like DeChambeau, how is your French?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Terrible. My name is Aldrich DeChambeau on the birth certificate. That's why it's B-A-D, bad. My middle name is James. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for giving me the longest name in the world. Appreciate that.

Funny part is I didn't even know I had two last names until I was in high school. I went to register for high school under DeChambeau, and they were like, "We don't have a DeChambeau" in wherever it was I had to register.

I was like, "It's right here."

My mom was like, "Oh, yeah, about that, you actually have two names."

Thanks, appreciate it. Didn't know that for 14 years of my life.

MICHAEL GIBBONS: You got your first look at the golf course today. How did you find it?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: It's great. It's in great condition, good test of golf. You've got to hit it straight and you have to be very precise with your irons on a few holes. So it's going to be a great test of golf and a great match-play course.

I'm certainly looking forward to the test, and you know, it's going to be fun. The last time I played match play was the U.S. Amateur, or Walker Cup and the U.S. Amateur and that was -- I always love match play.

So to be able to get back and play match play is going to be fun.

Q. Bryson, you've made it clear in several of the events earlier that you'd love to play with Tiger this week. But do you get a sense you have competition for that? Are other guys wanting that chance, and why do you think that is?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: You know, I don't think it's about any type of competition internally with the team. It's more about what we're going to do to put the four best teams out any day we go out. That's what the captain has talked about and what we're trying to accomplish and we will accomplish.

It would be awesome to play with him. Is it going to happen? We're still working on it. We're still trying to figure out who is going to best fit with each other, not me personally but for everyone that's going out that day.

Q. You were out there with both Tiger and Phil today walking around. What are the biggest things you were able to take from both of them collectively just having them together with you in a practise round, not having played here before?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, it's nice to have veterans on the golf course, for my first time, at least, and Patrick obviously exploded a couple years ago out here on the scene.

It's just nice to have people looking at me going, "Hey, how do you feel?" And I'm like, "I'm good, good." It's nice for them to say, "Hey, in these situations, this may happen or that may happen." Just gives me some confidence so I know what to expect and I'm not unprepared on Friday.

Q. Tiger was just telling us, the foursomes, the use of the balls --
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Foursomes, alternate-shot -- sorry, I always -- foursomes, I always get that mixed up, sorry.

Q. You guys have been seen switching balls and trying -- how have you worked that out? Is that something you were doing potentially for this week, and what do you think of his analytical approach to golf?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Quack-quack? Sorry.

MICHAEL GIBBONS: It's my Tiger timer.

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: What about me? No, just kidding.

Testing golf balls, yeah, it's something that's critical when we're playing fourball -- foursomes -- I always get those mixed up -- alternate-shot. Thank you. That's just easier for me, alternate-shot. It's key because we want to be comfortable. Each player needs to be comfortable with the ball that they are playing.

And so yeah, a lot of the players on the team have started hitting other balls and started experimenting with what they can and can't do in regards to, this ball is not going to work with me, or I can play with this ball.

So for compatibility reasons, it's one of most important things out there in regards to alternate-shot. It is the most important.

Q. With The Ryder Cup Team Europe, got a lot of rookies on it, what would you expect and who of the guys from the Team Europe you know especially best from the U.S. or from the days before?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Quite honestly, I played a lot of American golf, college golf growing up, and didn't -- Jon Rahm is obviously the big name that I played a little bit of college golf with him, but not much. We played in the U.S. Amateur together a few times, and that was really it.

But you know, Jon is a great player and it's going to be fun. Maybe going up against him in singles, you never know. That would be a fun little go, if you would say.

I hope that answered your question.

Q. What is your anticipation of the first tee on Friday?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: A lot of yelling.

Q. Are you generally a guy that has butterflies or nervous on the first tee for a regular event, and what do you think this will be like versus that? And what's your impression of the size of the grandstand behind 1?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Well, this is my first Ryder Cup, so I don't have anything to reference it off of, other than Hazeltine and that was huge. I was up in the stands and it was pretty big, as well. Hazeltine, it was more on top of you in a sense, where here, it's a little pushed back, so it's a little different, but there's going to be more people here. I don't necessarily know what to expect come Friday, but I know that if my game is on, I'll be a little nervous. But I'll be comfortable and I'll be able to perform and execute.

Q. There was a lot of focus on the video of you feeling serious frustration on the range at Carnoustie during The Open. What do you remember of that, and then since then have you tried to work on how you will temper your emotions if things get hot out there this week?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Again, you've got to understand that me, that's not anything out of the ordinary for me. People brought that up as a huge deal and a huge situation, but they just caught me at a vulnerable time, and it was unfortunate. I do that all the time because I'm trying to figure things out and I'm trying to go through it and, yeah, I'm going to get frustrated and, yeah, there's fire there, and that's a good thing; I don't ever want that to go away and that's what makes me who I am. May look terrible, but that fire is what brought me here and makes me who I am today.

As I look back on that, that's a moment that allowed me to be better for the future. It allowed me to say I can't keep doing this. It's not working. Let's keep trying to figure out what I can do. And when I'm down and frustrated, I'm thinking; I'm thinking about what else can I do to make myself better; how can I get this golf ball to be consistent off the face.

So in those moments, that's what makes me good. When I get frustrated on the golf course, sometimes you don't see it because I'm trying to be professional, and I have to be professional, right. But there's a lot of fire in there, and you know, it can frustrate me at times, but it also can motivate me; and it motivates me most of the time in a very positive way. Fires me up in a good way, and that's why I think I'll be good for The Ryder Cup Team. I think it will be fun to see how that plays out.

Q. Curious what the game was today between the four of you, and your thoughts on Phil's play today versus what we saw at East Lake where he was looking ahead to here more.
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: First question again.

Q. The game you guys were playing today?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: We were planning on doing something, but we wanted to see the golf course and get comfortable with it today, so nothing much on that.

Q. No bets?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: There wasn't. But there was a fun little five-dollar bet of Phil getting up-and-down out of a crazy situation on 16, the par 3, and surprisingly, he didn't get up-and-down. But he hit a great chip shot. That was it.

Q. Where was he?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: He was left of the green above the first bunker on that side slope and he was like in an awkward position and just didn't get up-and-down.

Q. Shocking. How was his play overall?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: You know, it's getting better. I know he's working really hard on his long game, and he's -- I think come Friday, he'll have it. He'll have it be ready to go.

I'm sure he's frustrated that he didn't play well last week and that's why he's working hard this week to get it ready for Friday.

Q. What is your opinion about the setup of the golf course, please?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: The setup of the golf course; well, I think there's a lot of unique holes out there where if you are aggressive, it is rewarding, but there's a few instances where it's not rewarding, where you do just have to hit iron off the tee; and if you hit iron off the tee, it's more going to be a second-shot golf course.

That's where for me it's a big benefit. I hit my irons really, really well, and so I think it's going to be a benefit for all the guys out here that can hit their iron shots well.

In regards to some of the course setup, you know, for example, moving up tee boxes or whatnot, I think there's a couple holes that they could potentially move the tees up, which could make for a couple interesting plays early in the match. I feel like if you get up early in the match, that's going to be critical because you've got some interesting holes coming down the stretch where if you don't hit one good shot, that could cost you the hole and cost you momentum and it could just unravel.

So getting up in the match early is going to be key, I think, this year.

Q. There's a lot of friendships between the two sides. Obviously you know a lot of the European guys from the Tour. How do you expect that dynamic to play out on the course?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: There will be none. It's USA against Europe out here. We're going to try and do our absolute best to get the Cup back. Keep the Cup. You know what I mean. You know, get the Cup back from this side. You know what I mean. That's what I meant.

Come on, Phil, it's not your press conference yet, come on.

PHIL MICKELSON: (Heckling).

MICHAEL GIBBONS: Join us.

PHIL MICKELSON: So you were an amateur two years ago.

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: No, I wasn't.

PHIL MICKELSON: You weren't?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: See, we all make mistakes.

Q. Well, now that Phil's here, he could tackle this one, too, maybe. Bryson, you talk about channeling your fire in a positive manner. Patrick Reed's done a real nice job of that in this event. Curious for both of you, and Phil playing on a couple teams with him, what's your take on what he brings to this event and what he pulls out of himself?
MICHAEL GIBBONS: Bryson, you want to answer that first, because you've got to go.

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: He brings an incredible fire to the team, I think, and I got to see him hole out that shot a couple years ago at Hazeltine -- I forgot what hole, but it was inspirational. It was motivating. It was just fun to see.

Personally, from a selfish standpoint, on that end, I made it a point that I wanted to be part of a team like that and have that fire, as well.

And so I'm here now, and you know, I do want to have that fire in a positive way to help benefit the team potentially.

MICHAEL GIBBONS: Bryson, thank you very much.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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