NAPA, Calif. — Typically, the Tuesday before a golf tournament can feel unstructured. It's a chaotic jumble of players analyzing the course, caddies chatting it up and storylines falling into place.

Tuesday at the Procore Championship, the kickoff for the FedExCup Fall, felt a little different.

There was Sam Burns, whistling on the range as he greeted Justin Thomas. Patrick Cantlay relaying tales of a windstorm here from years past to Burns and Thomas. J.J. Spaun unwrapping a "USA" jersey on the driving range and showing world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Scheffler and Russell Henley taking jabs at each other's competitiveness ("There's a side of me that I didn't know I had in there," said Henley jokingly).

And, most strikingly, there was U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley, decked out in U.S. team gear, walking with different practice groups on Tuesday, filling his team in on details and answering a steady stream of logistical questions from players. Though not in the Procore field, Bradley plans to be at Silverado Resort all tournament and has a house nearby in Napa Valley for the week.

In just two weeks, Bradley and Co. will be at Bethpage Black in New York for the 45th Ryder Cup. Right now, the entire U.S. Team — except for Bryson DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele, who recently welcomed his first child — is in the field this week. They carry a specific directive from Captain Bradley: Compete and stay sharp.

So, while the team revels in West Coast wine country and tackles the Procore Championship, they also plan to take this time to enhance their team chemistry. Bradley has a Tuesday team dinner planned, along with other bonding events throughout the week.

"It's been a lot of fun, coming together with a solid group of guys," Spaun, who earned his spot on the team through automatic qualification, told PGATOUR.COM on Tuesday. "Things out here on the PGA TOUR are very individual and you can be isolated at times, so it's cool and a nice change of pace to have a group of guys who are cheering each other on."

Henley echoed Spaun's sentiment: "Trying to enjoy the fact that I'm on a team, that's rare. I'm staying with Harris (English) this week. There are some other guys staying together. The anticipation is fun, and when the Ryder Cup's over, I have a feeling I'm really gonna miss it."

The U.S. Team teed off in practice groups on Tuesday. Collin Morikawa and English sprang for an early tee while Henley and Spaun played a match against Scheffler and Vice Captain Gary Woodland, who is also playing in the Procore. Cameron Young, Thomas, Cantlay and Burns completed the final foursome.

In addition, the U.S. Team's 10 team members and two of the three vice captains in the field (Woodland and Webb Simpson, with Brandt Snedeker as the third) will be grouped in threesomes through the first two rounds of competition.

Bradley's decision to encourage participation at the Procore follows the U.S. Team's 2023 lopsided defeat to Team Europe at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy, where only two U.S. team members played in Napa. Many speculated that the rust from the five-week break after the season-ending TOUR Championship was a major reason for a 0-4 beating in the first session.

“I think when you look at the last Ryder Cup, I think that was maybe a bit too much time off for us," Scheffler said in August. "It's one of those deals, it's tough. When you get to the end of the PGA TOUR season, I think you're a little bit tired. ... When it came to the end of the season, I was pretty worn out. It took a lot out of me. It was important for me to get rest. ... Now with the way the schedule is, I think there's like four weeks after the Tour Championship before the Ryder Cup, and that's plenty of time to get rest while still staying competitive. It's important for me to get out and get some competitive reps before the Ryder Cup."

Their European Ryder Cup counterparts are also employing the same strategy across the pond, with 11 of the 12 members of the squad playing in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in England.

It's just that magical time of year, where competition meets camaraderie.