Keegan Bradley should be incredibly proud of his players after they produced a stunning performance on Sunday at the Ryder Cup to give Europe the scare of a lifetime.
Even with memories of Brookline and Medinah in mind, few could have ever imagined what would play out on Sunday at Bethpage.
Luke Donald‘s men went into the singles with a seven point advantage. It is fair to say that Keegan Bradley‘s captaincy had been somewhat calamitous for the first two days in New York.
But Team USA produced an incredible effort on the final day to win the singles emphatically. And it is fair to say that they looked destined to pull off the greatest comeback in sporting history for some time at Bethpage.
Keegan Bradley reacts to Team USA’s fightback at the Ryder Cup
Wins for Cameron Young, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele helped make the fightback seem possible. Bryson DeChambeau coming from five down to halve his match with Matthew Fitzpatrick also appeared to be crucial.
Ultimately, Europe had just about enough to get across the line. Nevertheless, Bradley was full of praise for his players.
“They are a tough group. We did not play our best the first couple of days but we did today. That was a really fun day. We had all of our fun in one day at Bethpage,” he said to Sky Sports.
Scheffler was full of praise for Bradley after his narrow win over Rory McIlroy. And the captain was asked about the world number one’s comments
“It means a lot to me. I really enjoyed doing this. Never thought I would get to be a Ryder Cup captain. I will never forget it. It was amazing,” he added.
Keegan Bradley admits his regret as Team USA lose at Bethpage
Sunday’s performance should not let the American side off the hook. It was a nightmare of a first two days in New York.
Bradley got several of his pairings wrong, while there were completely unnecessary mistakes, such as Russell Henley teeing off on the first hole on Friday morning.
Bethpage also did not avoid the criticism. And Bradley admitted that the layout did his team few favours.
“Yeah, I would have set the course up a little different. But I don’t know. They played better than us. They are a great team. They deserved to win. In my eyes, Luke Donald is the best European Ryder Cup captain of all time,” he said.
The question will be what is next for Bradley, who could have played this week. He suggested that he is not yet sure what role he will have, if any, at Adare Manor.
“I have got a really weird relationship with this tournament. A lot of heartbreak. But I still love it. Love being out here with the guys. I don’t know if I will ever get to do this again. So I will remember this for the rest of my life,” he concluded.
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