The Ryder Cup is only weeks away, and Keegan Bradley has turned Napa Valley into his personal staging ground. While he isn’t playing in the Procore Championship, Bradley has been roaming the course in a cart, tracking 10 of his players as they fine-tune pairings and dynamics. The buzz is all about Bethpage Black. But here’s the thing — the Procore Championship is supposed to be a major PGA Tour stop in its own right. Instead, it’s starting to look like nothing more than a Ryder Cup practice ground. And that might put new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp in an awkward spot.

Brandon Porath and Andy Johnson discussed this. “Is this the Procore, or is this just practice? This feels disrespectful to the world’s number one construction software and everybody associated with Procore that works their a*s off at Procore,” Porath said on his Fried Egg Golf podcast. To this, Johnson adds, “I wonder what Rolapp thinks about this PGA Tour event being made a mockery.”

Procore indeed is a leading software construction company that had a 7.4% market share in 2024, as per certain market analysis. But that’s not the point. The point is, Procore stepped up for the PGA Tour at a very crucial time. When Fortinet pulled out halfway through its six-year deal as title sponsor of the Napa Valley event last year, citing financial challenges, Procore filled the gap. “We went fast,” said Sarah Hodges, Procore’s chief marketing officer. It was called a “Big Bang” move meant to reach their executive audience in a major way.

From Procore’s perspective, optics matter. With an $11–$13 million annual investment in title sponsorship, the goal is strong exposure and prestige. If the event comes across as a “dry run” instead, it risks devaluing the brand and undermining that investment.

Quite contrary to all this, Captain Bradley’s view is different. For him, Napa has doubled as a chance to live inside the role of captain. He and the vice captains are bunking together in a rented house, hosting dinners, and experimenting with pairings. On Tuesday, during a practice round, Collin Morikawa teed it up with Harris English, while Scottie Scheffler went around with Russell Henley and JJ Spaun. Behind them, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Sam Burns, and Cameron Young played in a pack, while Ben Griffin got paired with assistant captain Brandt Snedeker. All of it is designed to mimic Ryder Cup dynamics. The only two players missing are Bryson DeChambeau, well, because of LIV, and Xander Schauffele, who just welcomed his first child.

And this is working too. Players are noticing a contrast with last time’s failed campaign under Zach Johnson. Bradley, so far, has succeeded in handling things. And it, of course, started with him sacrificing himself as a playing captain. Morikawa summed it up by saying, “Keegan’s been very open to talking to a lot of us, a lot of players just asking what he can do for us to make the [Ryder Cup] week that much easier…He’s been open to hearing every suggestion possible.”

That’s the competitive side. But Rolapp and the Tour’s commercial team also have to keep the sponsors happy. Procore didn’t just slap its name on a golf tournament; it has other shares, too. Its construction management software powered the PGA Tour’s new state-of-the-art Studio facility, which opened in January 2025. That’s a deep corporate tie-in right there, not some random and casual marketing play. But all of this is apparently being shadowed by Bradley’s team-building theatrics. Now it’s Rolapp’s job to make sure that when sponsors put up eight-figure sums, their events don’t get reduced to Ryder Cup scenery. And it cuts more as Rolapp has been trying to undo a lot of PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan‘s actions.

So, for the PGA Tour, which has spent the past two years scrambling to stabilize its schedule, that balance is as important as any putt Bradley’s squad will face in New York. He, anyway, on the other hand, seems ready.

Keegan Bradley maps out Ryder Cup at Procore Championship

Keegan Bradley says he’s about 90% set on partner assignments for Bethpage Black. “One of our goals was to have the guys prepared, ready to know who they’re playing with. Especially in alternate shot, I think that’s more important. Best ball, you can have a little more leeway there, but we’re pretty set here with what we’re going to do,” he explained. The US captain has opted to open the Ryder Cup with foursomes on Friday morning (a decision which received a lot of reaction on the internet). This format is where the home team historically held an edge. Europe went 7-1-0 in foursomes in 2023, while the US posted a 6-2-0 record at Whistling Straits. Overall, the US boasts a 9-3-1 record in Ryder Cups, where foursomes lead off play on Friday.

At the same time, Bradley acknowledges that foursomes are tougher to pair because of several factors. “When you’re on the road, it’s much more comforting to have a best ball partner,” he said. That’s why he’s leaning on a mix of historical pairings, but also experimenting with new combinations. Four-time Ryder Cupper Justin Thomas will miss his usual partner, Jordan Spieth, and hence needs a new right-hand man. And then, there’s Bryson DeChambeau’s unpredictable game that Captain America will have to fit into the puzzle.