The Ryder Cup might still be a few weeks away, but tensions between Europe and America are already starting to crack the surface. Over at the Walker Cup this week, Team USA pulled off a fifth consecutive win over Great Britain and Ireland by 17-9. And somehow, the Ryder Cup players are treating it like a warm-up celebration. No surprise then that both sides have been pouring messages of support onto the Walker Cup amateurs. Rory McIlroy dropped a video earlier, and now Bryson DeChambeau has stepped in to play motivator for Team USA. And although his gesture received a lot of praise from fans, a few were also quick to cancel him over his outfit choice…

On September 6, the USGA’s official Instagram page shared a snippet of DeChambeau mentoring the squad, captioned, “Fired up us”. While the video didn’t include his actual words, judging from the thunderous applause at the end, it looked like he had struck a chord. The golfer even went around the room, hugging and giving back-pats to each member individually. However, what caught attention was the Crushers GC uniform he was wearing given the occasion. Fans’ verdict? Classic rage-bait. But, before we get to that part, USA Team members’ reaction were totally (read: thankfully) the opposite.

After the win, team captain Nathan Smith admitted DeChambeau’s appearance caught him off guard. “That was pretty special. I’d say my first thought is I hadn’t seen him in years and he’s gotten a lot bigger,” Smith laughed. Notably, the last time these two had shared the same space was way back in 2015 at the Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Bryson was just 21 back then, and he lost to Smith and his partner, Todd White. So, for most of the squad, DeChambeau’s showing up was a surprise. “I didn’t see him until we were sitting on the couch in the team room, and he just walked in. Definitely wasn’t expecting that. That was kind of cool. He gave us a little pep talk, which was pretty sweet,” said Preston Stout, who was crucial in America’s win after defeating Luke Pouler 2-and-1, giving his team its 14th point and ensuring there would be no tie.

Having said that, DeChambeau showing up like this came during an interesting moment. Just a few days ago, Rory McIlroy sent Team GB&I a special message. And while it was meant to lift their spirits, Rory also slipped in a little jab at Team USA: “Please beat them because I know we’re going to beat them at Bethpage.” Well, GB&I didn’t quite live up to the call, but his message made one thing very clear. The vibes at Bethpage Black on September 26 are going to be tense.

For fans, though, it already is. But in a different way…

Fans point out Bryson DeChambeau’s ‘rage bait’

The video of DeChambeau meeting the amateur players was posted on both the X and Instagram handles of the USGA account. Needless to say, it gained a lot of traction, with 56.9k views on Elon Musk’s platform and 3,828 likes on the Meta platform. One of the users expressed the disappointment likely felt by many. “Figured he’d wear Team USA colors and not his Crushers gear.” Team USA’s Ryder Cup outfit, designed by Ralph Lauren, was revealed earlier this month, and funnily enough, it received its own share of backlash. But here, the fans were okay siding with it. Guess they can choose a badly designed uniform over the love of golf’s traditionality? Another one echoed the same thought: “Seriously. Why not wear Ryder Cup uni?”

Then there were a few who could not contain their anger. One other netizen went overboard. “Can this f***ing guy ever not be wearing this st**id Crushers getup? Does he have no US gear? He hates America?” Funded by the Saudi PIF, LIV has often been accused of being un-American or unpatriotic. Hence, it is understandable why this user accused DeChambeau like this. Around the same lines, another user said, “Why is a member of the team Saudi in the USA locker room?” A select few, though, thought they understood the rationale behind Bryson DeChambeau’s T-shirt choice. Oftentimes, the Mad Scientist has been accused of rage-baiting. Whether it’s his jabs at frenemy Brooks Koepka (he literally eye-rolled at him once) or his on-course behaviour, there have been times when he has sparked some debates.

So a fan, maybe familiar with DeChambeau’s persona, wrote, “Classic rage bait.“ At the same time, another one typed, “Does he own any other clothes?” To his defence, DeChambeau did not break any protocols. The USGA, under whose ambit the Walker Cup comes, has never explicitly said anything against LIV Golf. The contention has always mostly been between LIV and the PGA Tour, and neither the Walker Cup nor the Ryder Cup comes under them. Adding onto that, LIV players have been allowed to participate in the Ryder Cup since last year, the very reason DeChambeau is on the American team, and Jon Rahm, along with Tyrrell Hatton, on the European side. But fans’ sentiments are also understood. And with such reactions, it looks like DeChambeau’s plan most likely fell flat on his face.