Dan Rapaport says who he blames even more than Keegan Bradley for USA’s shocking performance at the Ryder Cup

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The United States team are on the verge of a heavy defeat to the European team at Bethpage Black.

Team Europe had an 11.5-4.5 lead heading into the Sunday singles, so the US needed an absolute miracle to turn it around.

Bradley’s decision-making has come under serious scrutiny throughout the week, with many blaming him for the United States’ poor performance.

However, golf journalist Dan Rapaport is not convinced that Bradley has been America’s biggest issue at the Ryder Cup.

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Dan Rapaport blames the United States players more than Keegan Bradley

Rapaport thinks the importance of the captains at the Ryder Cup is overstated and that the onus is always on the players to deliver.

The American golfers have not performed as well as the Europeans this week, especially on the greens, which Bradley could do little about.

Rapaport said after the second day at the Ryder Cup that it’s unfair for Bradley to be scapegoated for his team’s struggles.

“I’m going to say something that might be a little unpopular,” he explained. “I actually don’t think this is captain Keegan Bradley’s fault, mainly because I don’t think it’s ever the Ryder Cup captain’s fault.

“Players win or lose the Ryder Cup. Is it Keegan Bradley’s fault that Scottie Scheffler fatted a wedge on 18 on Saturday morning? Is it Keegan Bradley’s fault that the US team could not make a single putt to build any momentum all week?

“Look, I understand wanting a scapegoat and wanting someone to be held accountable for an embarrassment, and this has been an embarrassment. I also understand that everyone with two working eyes and an internet connection is all of a sudden a data expert and knows exactly what the pairings should have been.

“Pairings don’t win Ryder Cups; captains don’t win Ryder Cups; players win Ryder Cups.”

Dan Rapaport wishes Keegan Bradley had played for the United States

Rapaport doubled down on his opinion of Bradley’s Ryder Cup captaincy by saying that he should have played at Bethpage Black.

He believes that the US captain has the personality to stand up to the passionate Europeans who are firing on all cylinders this week.

“Ironically, it’s why I thought Keegan should have played, because I think the captaincy, all of that, like how much impact the captain can have is really overblown,” Rapaport added. “I think he would have been a dog, the type of dog that we need.

“Would he have made the difference? Probably not. But if you look at the European team, they have Ryder Cup guys who have that spirit: Rory [McIlroy], [Jon] Rahm, [Tommy] Fleetwood, and [Justin] Rose.

“We don’t have that many dogs, and I felt that Keegan was the perfect personality type. Again, players win and lose the Ryder Cup, not captains or pairings.”