FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- Bryson DeChambeau has been the recipient of harsh criticism ahead of this week's Ryder Cup, so United States captain Keegan Bradley went to bat for the polarizing LIV Golf star.

Bradley said he believes DeChambeau, the only U.S. player not on the PGA Tour, will be an X-factor for the the Americans -- not just with his play, but with the energy he is set to bring to the home crowd at Bethpage Black.

"He's a really fiery player," Bradley said Tuesday. "When you come to a Ryder Cup, you don't want guys to try to be something they're not. We have a lot of calm, mellow guys, so we need the energy from Bryson."

Bradley's comments came less than 24 hours after Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee ripped DeChambeau as a "captain's nightmare" and accused the two-time U.

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