Exclusive: Potential U.S. team members asked if they’re willing to get COVID vaccine before Ryder Cup

The fallout from Bryson DeChambeau’s revelation that he has no plans to receive a COVID-19 vaccine is spilling over into the Ryder Cup. Prospective members of the U.S. team are being asked if they’d be willing to get vaccinated before the event next month, Golfweek has learned.

DeChambeau was prevented from competing in the Olympic men’s golf competition for the U.S. after testing positive for the coronavirus hours before his scheduled flight to Tokyo. On Wednesday, the world No. 7 told reporters that he still does not intend to get vaccinated.

“I’m young enough, I’d rather give [the vaccine] to people who need it. I don’t need it. I’m a healthy, young individual that will continue to work on my health,” he said at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis. “I don’t think taking the vaccine away from someone who needs it is a good thing… Now as time goes on, if it [the vaccine] is mainstream, really, really mainstream, then yeah.”

The Centers for Disease Control says there is no vaccine shortage in the U.S. and that 165.6 million Americans have been fully vaccinated, with another 28 million having received one dose. The PGA Tour says that more than 70% of players and 90% of caddies are vaccinated.

One day after DeChambeau’s comments, the leadership of the U.S. Ryder Cup began reaching out to likely members of the team asking about their vaccine status and if they would be willing to be vaccinated in advance of the event, two sources told Golfweek. This outreach came at the urging of the PGA of America, a source familiar with the discussions confirmed. One player who was contacted declined to say if it was Captain Steve Stricker.

The PGA of America oversees the Ryder Cup, which will be played Sept. 24-26 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. A spokesperson said preparations are still being finalized for the biennial battle with Europe: “As has been the case since the pandemic, we are monitoring all developments and following CDC, state and local guidelines. We will work closely with our medical advisors, Ryder Cup Europe and our Captains in real time to finalize health protocols that, given how things are changing almost daily, will be announced closer to the Ryder Cup.”

The organization has for months been consulting with medical advisors about how to secure a bubble at the event. That process intensified as the COVID-19 Delta variant has caused hospitalizations to spike nationwide. The Ryder Cup is expected to draw thousands of spectators to Wisconsin’s Sheboygan County, which the CDC lists as having high levels of community transmission of COVID-19.

“We need to know, is it only Bryson we have to worry about or half of the team,” said one source close to the discussions on the U.S. side.

With the Ryder Cup just seven weeks away, the window for unvaccinated players and support staff to act is narrowing rapidly. The timeline from getting the first shot to being considered fully vaccinated ranges from 14 days for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to 42 days for the Moderna product.

Discussions are also underway between the U.S. and European teams on how to respond if a player tests positive during the matches. Both teams are said to be determined to ensure the Ryder Cup is not upended by the pandemic. The options being considered include forfeiting an affected player’s point in the Sunday singles matches and possibly even having alternate players on site for each team. Talks about those issues remain in the early stages with nothing yet decided.