Brandel Chamblee has discussed the differences between Team USA and Team Europe as he reacted to the team announcements ahead of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black

Brandel Chamblee has reacted to the Ryder Cup team announcements(Image: Icon Sportswire, Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Brandel Chamblee has compared the Team USA announcement to a “hostage video” ahead of the Ryder Cup.

The esteemed tournament is set to kick off at Bethpage Black later this month, with the two Ryder Cup team rosters now confirmed. Despite his strong form, Team USA captain Keegan Bradley has chosen not to be the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.

Golf analyst Chamblee has praised Bradley’s decision not to select himself. However, he believes Team Europe has a stronger desire to win the Ryder Cup; an observation underscored by the two teams’ differing reactions when the selections were announced.

“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. They looked sad, like their dog had just died. They did,” he quipped on The Favorite Chamblee podcast.

“The Europeans, they had the benefit of probably seeing all of the posts and were like, ‘We’re going to give the opposite view’. 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. And if you doubt that, here it is: Sergio Garcia goes to LIV, but in order to be eligible and play on the Ryder Cup team, he had to pay a few million dollars in fines. He happily paid those fines so that he could be eligible and considered to play on the Ryder Cup team.

A tale of two Zoom calls. pic.twitter.com/KjyYissJCH

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) September 1, 2025

“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.”

Masters champion Rory McIlroy has been determined to help guide Team Europe to victory on American soil since their win in Rome two years ago. Team USA captain Bradley suggested that McIlroy’s previous comments would help motivate his squad and strengthen their determination to prove the Northern Irishman wrong.

While Chamblee believes Team Europe shows greater passion for the Ryder Cup, the 63-year-old argued that Bradley’s decision not to pick himself as a player will give Team USA extra drive to win the tournament. Bradley ranked 11th in the qualification rankings, but his personal sacrifice could prove crucial in helping push his squad across the finish line.

Keegan Bradley has suggested that Rory McIlroy’s comments could motivate his team(Image: Warren Little/Getty Images)

Chamblee compared it to a situation involving Europe captain Luke Donald in 2023, highlighting how vital team spirit can be. “I think he may well have won the Ryder Cup in making that decision,” Chamblee said on the Golf Channel following Bradley’s announcement.

“When you start to look at a captaincy or at a team, it’s never any one thing that makes a great player or a great captain, but it’s an assembly of a lot of little things like a mosaic.

“And in the same way you got the sense when Luke Donald, in opening ceremonies in 2023 got up and spoke Italian for two or three minutes, you thought, this Ryder Cup is over.”

He added: “So Keegan Bradley, just thinking about the decision to pick himself, that’s what a leader does, make a personal sacrifice for the collective good of a team. It’s the kind of thing a leader would do that would get his team to sort of run through a wall for him.

“Imagine the rest of that week; he’s going to look at them and be like, ‘I stepped aside to focus on every little detail to help you guys,’ and how empowering that must be for his team.”