For a man whose relationship with the Ryder Cup remains extremely complicated, Keegan Bradley made a simple decision on Wednesday He removed his name from the US roster This will be on center stage at Bethpage Black next month. The 39-year-old captain chose his country and team over his personal desires, in a selfless act that actually appears easy on paper.
“It was a really difficult decision,” Bradley said. “I think there was a point (planned) that I was playing this year a while ago, and all of these guys are stepping up in a big way and heading towards this team. That’s something I’m really proud of and it was a really difficult decision.
Bradley’s history in the Ryder Cup is well documented and isn’t necessarily fun to work.
In 2012 he automatically qualified for his first Ryder Cup in Medina. Excited with Starry-Eyed, Bradley partnered with Phil Mickelson to get electrical results, experiencing smooth sailing over the first two days. The US flag could not fly fast to the scoreboard if possible. The duo won in opening foursome sessions 4 and 3 with Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia. Another 2 and 1 victory took place that afternoon in Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell’s tandem in Northern Ireland. They won three times the next day, Donald and Lee Westwood’s 7 and 6 drovings.
We were on fire, but Bradley didn’t know that at once, but it was the peak of his experience with the Ryder Cup as a player. After sitting in a Saturday afternoon session, he quickly lost 2 and 1 to McIlroy on Sunday’s single. The US entered the final day with a 10-6 lead as the Europeans put together one of the biggest comebacks in Ryder Cup history, but left shoulders and head and won 14.5-13.5.
The week changed Bradley forever. He has not knitted suitcases since 2012. After the disappointment that he would not be selected for Rome’s 2023 team in 11 years, he shared it on social media.
In 2014, Bradley got another crack as a captain’s pick, but that was a relatively uncompetitive issue for the Americans. He played in the first two sessions, not touching the golf course on the second day and lost the decision point for Jamie Donaldson’s singles.
Bradley hoped the next time would be different. Over ten years later, there was no time to come. Instead, he turned into some kind of Ryder Cup folklore. Neither his partnership with Mickelson nor his passion and energy for the event are regularly replicated.
In 2023, Bradley returned his name to the same sentence as the Ryder Cup, seriously considering that he was selected for the team nine years after his last chance. The winning couple that season energised his candidacy, and whether they would choose Bradley, who was ranked 11th in the US Ryder Cup standings, to put the ball on the court of then Zach Johnson.
Johnson’s decision to leave the team – choosing three players ranked below him who Johnson believed to be a better fit for his off-course relationship – all golf fans were caught up in the cameras they could see in the first year of the “Full Swing” documentary. Bradley was emotionally crushed.
Ironically, without Johnson’s decision and Bradley’s response, the American PGA might not have chosen to become American captain in 2025.
“I grew up wanting to play the Ryder Cup,” Bradley said. “I grew up wanting to fight with these guys, I broke my heart to not play (2023). That really did. You will work forever to make these teams, but ultimately you were chosen to be the captain of this team.
“If we got to this point and felt that the team had gotten better for me, I was going to do it. I was going to do whatever I thought was the best for this team. I know 100% of the time this is the right choice.
Bradley played enough to join the 2023 team. He played well enough to join the 2025 teamHe also won two wins in the season and finished 11th in the rankings. The only source of information telling him not to play was the six inches between his ears.
It is a self-interest-free act that is not normally seen in individualized sports, especially golf. Bradley packed his personal desires and summoned the strength of his beliefs.
“I know he’s mad and I think we’re all broken for him,” Captain Pick Justin Thomas said. “But at the same time, he’ll say that bringing us to victory is cooler than the experience he can get as a player. That’s probably what he thinks is the best for us. So we have all our faith in the world.
If he had chosen himself for the team, no one would have denounced Bradley. (In fact, many weren’t confused.) He won it for his achievements, experiences and desires.
Even on Sideline, Bradley will star in September 26-28 as the main character of the 2025 Ryder Cup.
His relationship with the event may have blurred the past few years, but his motivations remained as clear as day. He cares first and foremost that the US is defeating Europe.
Bradley believes that the best opportunity for the Americans to win is for him to oversee his actions without having to get the club. His belief and trust in his talent only inspires the 12 players he will lead him into the battle.
“I don’t care how it works,” Bradley said. “As long as I win on Sunday.”
