NAPA, Calif. – If Maverick McNealy wasn’t the first player left off the U.S. Ryder Cup team, he was certainly in the conversation. McNealy received one of those tough calls from U.S. Captain Keegan Bradley that he failed to make the 12-man U.S. side that will take on Europe in the 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, beginning Sept. 26.
“I spent my entire year trying to gear up and prepare for that and pretty instantaneously that’s gone,” he told Golfweek on Thursday after shooting 3-under 69 at Silverado Resort’s North Course in the Procore Championship. McNealy previously posted a heartfelt and elegantly written post on his social media.
“Well, the disappointment of this past week is not how I envisioned feeling after the best season of my PGA Tour career,” he began. “To come so close to, and fall just short of, making the Ryder Cup team … hurts. I wanted so badly to be in that team room, wear the red, white, and blue, and —more than anything — make that putt to win points for the USA. That said, Captain Keegan Bradley is bringing a stacked squad to Bethpage, and I am grateful to have even been in the conversation. He has handled one of the toughest responsibilities in golf with professionalism and enthusiasm, and I’ll be rooting hard for his team.
“People have told me to be pissed off, channel this into motivation, and go prove everyone wrong … but that’s not really how I work.”
On Thursday, McNealy added that he quickly pivoted his focus from trying to peak in late September for the Ryder Cup to trying to peak in January and win some majors next year.
“All of a sudden, what’s in front of me is going to be a very special off-season,” McNealy said.
He and his wife, Maya, are expecting the birth of their first child, a daughter, on Nov. 7. He said he’ll play the Utah Championship next month but his title defense of the RSM Classic will depend on the timing of the birth of his daughter.
McNealy, 29, enjoyed the best season of his career, notching seven top-10 finishes, five of which were top 5s, and his best ballstriking season. Bradley said he advised McNealy to use the disappointment as fuel for future success, such as making the U.S. Presidents Cup team. McNealy’s game is in a good place and he said he’ll work on sharpening his short game a bit more. With responsibilities of being a player director on the PGA Tour board beginning next year and the duties of a new day, McNealy said he plans to play less frequently. He noted he played 32 tournaments in a 54-week span.
“I play a little too much golf through the meat of the summer. The top players are peaking and priming for the big events,” he said. “I’m going to try to get more bang for my buck.”
McNealy made a huge leap forward with his game this season and he’ll be motivated to do his best to finish in the top six in the Presidents Cup standings and avoid having to be a pick for Captain Brandt Snedeker’s team. The response of Justin Thomas to McNealy’s social media post summed up the respect his fellow competitors have for his game.
“Brother, you’re a stud. What you have people can’t teach. Keep being you,” Thomas wrote and closed with a fire emoji.
