FLOURTOWN, Pennsylvania.— The Truist Championship is a big event in its own right, a signature event with a $20 million purse. It also serves as most stars’ final prep for the PGA Championship, as the majors start coming fast and furious.
This year, the Truist (previously the Wells Fargo Championship) served another purpose, as US captain Keegan Bradley gathered several prospective players for dinner early in the week.
It was the first formal gathering of the current Ryder Cup cycle for the Americans—and even LIV Golf members Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka were invited, according to a Golf Channel report.
“Listen, we’ve been talking to the boys over a year now. But this was fun to get everyone together under one roof and talk,” Bradley said after his round Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. “We called it a dinner, but it was really sort of a get-together. And everyone came, and the caddies were there, and the wives were there, and it was excellent.”
Bradley had just stepped out of the scoring tent to chants of “U-S-A!” He’s also hearing “Cap,” short for captain, pretty much everywhere he goes.
Advertisement • Scroll to continue
The Vermont native has become a fan favorite, especially after the Netflix series “Full Swing” documented how he was left off the 2023 Ryder Cup team.
“I get this every week, and I did not expect this,” Bradley said. “I did not expect to go to gas stations and people yelling at me, go to restaurants, people buying me dinner and desserts and drinks. . . It’s been a bonus, but it’s really special.”
Bradley demurred when asked if he may name himself to the team as a playing captain.
“I don’t know. I got to play better than what I’m doing right now,” he said.
