Keegan Bradley admits what’s really shocked him about American golf fans since he became Ryder Cup captain

Add as preferred source on Google

The Ryder Cup is now only three months away, and Keegan Bradley will be desperate to bring the trophy back to the United States.

Bradley is the U.S. team captain for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in September.

Interestingly though, Bradley actually qualify for his own Ryder Cup team due to his fine form on the PGA Tour this season.

The 39-year-old is currently sitting in 17th spot in the rankings, and he will need a win or a couple of top-5 finishes to really make things interesting.

Bradley recently said he’s not sure if he could be a playing Ryder Captain, but if he does make the team, he won’t be turning down the opportunity to play, that’s for sure.

Instead, one would imagine that the U.S. vice-captain Jim Furyk would step into the role, with Bradley taking up the captaincy for another Ryder Cup in the future.

That’s all a moot point right now though. As things stand, Bradley will be captaining Team USA in New York State in September.

Keegan Bradley says American fans have shocked him ahead of the Ryder Cup

Bradley was desperately unlucky not to make the Ryder Cup team in 2023.

In fact, the general consensus is that Zach Johnson made a huge mistake by not selecting him as one of his six wildcards.

The 39-year-old is a popular figure on tour, with both the fans and the players.

Bradley responded to reporters on Wednesday when asked about the support he has been receiving on tour in general this season.

“It’s pretty amazing. The support that I’ve been getting throughout this year is something that I didn’t really expect. Everywhere I go, I’m getting USA chants, people are cheering me on. I expected to be — it’s always pretty loud for me here even, and this year I think it’s going to be really exciting.

“It’s been something that I hadn’t really expected, to be honest. It’s taken me by surprise, and it’s just a treat to go out there and play every day as the Ryder Cup captain.“

That’s great to hear. Having that kind of support must make his job a whole lot easier.

Bradley on how he’s feeling ahead of the Travelers Championship

The 2025 season in general must have been a tiring one for Bradley so far, given how much he has on his plate right now.

Bradley was asked how he’s feeling after what was a mentally and physically gruelling week at Oakmont.

He responded, “I think there’s some pros and cons to playing the week after the U.S. Open. For me, this is normally a pretty stressful week in terms of coming back home and having tons of family, but after the U.S. Open, this is such a nice change of pace.

“It’s exhausting to play in majors, but especially playing U.S. Opens at Oakmont. I woke up today pretty tired, but I felt better as the day goes on. Tomorrow once the crowds are here and everything, we’ll be good to go.“

A win for Bradley at the Travelers Championship this week would pretty much make him a dead-cert for the Ryder Cup team in September.

He’s certainly capable of doing just that – he was victorious at TPC River Highlands in 2023 after all!