Keegan Bradley has suffered relentless Ryder Cup heartbreaks during his career.
He could well be the American that cares the most about the event, so Keegan Bradley must be shattered by how badly it has treated him in the last decade.
First, Bradley was snubbed by captain Zach Johnson for the 2023 Ryder Cup. Despite ranking in the top 12 Americans in the build up to Rome, Bradley wasn’t named a captain’s pick by Johnson, and his conversation with the captain was shown on Netflix’s Full Swing for the whole world to see.
Bradley then set his eyes on 2025, but an expected wrench was thrown into those plans when he was named Ryder Cup captain. Again, he finished in the top 12, but again, he couldn’t play, after nobly deciding that being a playing captain wasn’t best for Team USA.
To rub salt into the wounds, his captaincy was a disaster. Team USA were demolished in the team events after crippling mistakes from Bradley, and a Sunday comeback in singles only emphasized how poor Bradley’s pairings were. The Americans lost the Ryder Cup on home soil for the first time since 2012.
Bradley hasn’t played at the Ryder Cup since 2014, and he has never won the event. But he still can’t let go of the passion he has for it.
Keegan Bradley said the Ryder Cup has been ‘brutal’ to him
Bradley would be forgiven for giving up on his dream of winning a Ryder Cup for Team USA. The event has given him nothing but heartbreak, which was clear in the build up to this tournament.
Speaking at the Travelers Championship, he said, “I really would enjoy playing in one more. I don’t know if I’ll get the chance. This effing event has been so brutal to me. I don’t know if I want to play.”
Bradley quickly went back on those words, continuing, “No, I do. It’s such a weird thing to love something so much that just doesn’t give you anything.”
It’s clear how heavy the weight of Bradley’s Ryder Cup disappointments rests upon his shoulders. And what’s worse, he could have played in New York. That decision was put in his hands, but Bradley decided to focus solely on his captain’s duties.
Speaking after the Ryder Cup, he said whether he regretted that decision.
Keegan Bradley says whether he regrets not playing at the Ryder Cup
Bradley wanted to play in New York. He was trying desperately to qualify automatically, and that looked on the cards when Bradley won the Travelers Championship in June.
But his performances down the stretch made it more difficult to justify his selection, and while he did finish in the top 12 in Team USA’s standings, he decided to sit this one out.
Instead, he was forced to watch agonisingly and his team was taken apart on Friday and Saturday. He was forced to answer for his pairing selections and his course setup when he clearly wanted nothing more than to pick up the clubs and hole some putts himself.
Speaking after the Ryder Cup, he said whether he regretted not playing. He said, “I’ll forever wonder and wish that I had a chance to play there.
“The first practice day, I was out on the tee, and I was watching the guys walk down the fairway all together, and I said: ‘I wish I was playing. That’s what it’s all about. I’m missing out.’
“By the second or third day I was like ‘It’s a good thing I’m not playing,’ because I was so physically exhausted. … Good thing I didn’t do it, because it would have been bad. I just didn’t think I could do both jobs.”
In truth, Bradley’s 2025 Ryder Cup hopes were dashed when he was selected as captain by the PGA of America. Rory McIlroy said being a playing captain is impossible, because there is simply too much on a captain’s plate in the modern game.
But Europeans and Americans alike can agree that if anyone deserves to represent Team USA as a player in Adare Manor, it’s Bradley.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
