While the golfing world was truly shocked when the announcement came that Keegan Bradley would captain the next US Ryder Cup team, the logic is arguably starting to become clear as the Americans look to bounce back from their emphatic defeat in Rome last year.
Few would have ever imagined that Keegan Bradley would be named a captain for 2025, even after it emerged that Tiger Woods had turned down the captaincy for Bethpage. Bradley has not played on a Ryder Cup team in a decade, while he was inside the world’s top 20 when the announcement came.
It really appears that the US are looking to tear up the textbook ahead of New York. Bradley has spoken about his desire to be a playing captain, and it has now been confirmed that he has received a captain’s pick for the Presidents Cup later this month.
And it seems that the 38-year-old is not going to be afraid to make some big decisions over the next 12 months, as he looks to vindicate the PGA of America’s decision.
Billy Horschel shares what Keegan Bradley has already said about being Ryder Cup captain
Speaking on Fairways of Life with Matt Adams Golf Show, Billy Horschel revealed that he is encouraged by what he has heard about Bradley’s initial plans after speaking with the 2011 PGA champion.
“I think we were all shocked when Keegan was announced, but at the same time, I think Keegan’s going to be a great Ryder Cup captain. I think he’s perfect for that area, the north-east, the New York fans, obviously growing up in the north-east, he has strong ties to there,” he said.
“Keegan has a strong passion for team competitions, so we’ve seen it many years when he was part of teams. Just having brief conversations with him, he’s going to change some things, he’s going to ask a lot of the players, he’s going to ask them to make sacrifices that maybe they haven’t made in the past.
“So I think he’s going to bring an entirely different view of what he expects of us as players, what he expects as captain of the Ryder Cup, I think it’s going to be a great transition into this new era hopefully for the United States team.”
Captaincy gamble could pave a completely different route towards future appointments
Bradley has plenty of pressure on his shoulders, as he is not only the US captain for the next Ryder Cup, but how he fares could also influence how future skippers are selected.
The likes of Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar have potentially been bypassed for the role, with someone enjoying one of the best spells of his playing career instead getting the gig.
Should America win – and they will be overwhelming favourites – then perhaps there will be further curveballs in the years to come, with the likes of Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele amongst those currently in their 30s.
Obviously, Tiger Woods is the wildcard in that you would imagine that the captaincy is his if he ever decides that he wants the job. But someone like Spieth will be Bradley’s age when the Ryder Cup returns to the States in 2029, so perhaps it may soon be the norm for America to select captains yet to hit 40.
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