When Keegan Bradley was announced as Team USA’s captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup, it was a controversial and surprising pick.
He had been heartbreakingly and publicly left off the 2023 Ryder Cup team by captain Zach Johnson despite ranking in the top 12 of American players. Keegan Bradley’s emotions were on display for everyone to see on the Netflix show, Full Swing.
At the age of 39, Bradley has demonstrated the ability to compete with the best players in the sport. That was the concern when he was selected as captain. Could he play himself into contention and leave himself with the dilemma of potentially picking himself?
That’s how it played out. In the end, he had to leave himself off the team once again. Bradley wanted to play in the Ryder Cup, but instead, he decided to dedicate himself fully to his role as captain. It was the mature and professional thing to do.
But as a first-time captain, and a controversial one at that, how do Team USA’s star players think Bradley has acquitted himself in the role?
Bryson DeChambeau reveals that Keegan Bradley talks to him like a ‘brother’
Despite the question marks hanging over Bradley’s captaincy, his stars have come out emphatically in support of him in the build-up to the Ryder Cup.
LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau said Bradley speaks to him like a brother. He said, “Keegan has been an amazing captain. He gets it. He understands how to lead, he understands how to make people feel a part of the team.
“It really requires a lot of understanding and patience, and Keegan has done such a great job of that. He talks to everyone like he is your brother and cares so much about each person.”
Bradley left DeChambeau a note in his locker before The Open Championship, along with other potential members of Team USA. That’s a nod to the work Bradley has put into motivating his side ahead of a hugely important tournament for the hosts.
Scottie Scheffler claims Keegan Bradley has kept Team USA ‘fired up’
World number one Scottie Scheffler has been a no-doubt member of Team USA for two years. Scheffler has drawn comparisons to Tiger Woods after his dominant season, which saw him win two major championships.
He’s had the Ryder Cup in New York on his calendar for a while now, but Scheffler said Bradley continued to motivate him and the team for a long time.
He said, “Keegan has been great. He has got a great energy about him. He has done a really good job of keeping the guys fired up for a long time.
“We have a great squad of 12 guys and great assistant captains as well. Keegan has done such a good job of leading us and keeping the energy the way it needs to be.”
Scheffler dismissed the Woods comparisons. The greatest player of all time had a shockingly abysmal Ryder Cup record. But Scheffler instead aims to be a more easy-going team member, which is an incredible asset as the best player on Bradley’s team.
Ben Griffin said Keegan Bradley did something Team USA hasn’t seen before
Ben Griffin was not a sure bet for the Ryder Cup like Scheffler and DeChambeau. Rumours that Griffin would miss out on selection in place of Bradley circulated days before the captain’s picks were revealed.
But sure enough, the ninth-ranked American made the team. Griffin claimed that Team USA couldn’t have asked for anything more out of their first-time captain.
He explained, “He has been incredible. I think everything you could ask for out of a captain in terms of keeping us extremely motivated and determined.
“And then just bringing all of us together. It’s just like this idea of Napa and having us all play together as a team and a tournament. That is pretty unique and we have not seen that before.”
11 of the 12 American players went to the Procore Championship as Ryder Cup preparation. That was to right the wrongs of 2023, where nine Team USA players went weeks without playing before their defeat to Europe in Rome.
Griffin thinks his team have been well prepared by Bradley, and are ready to snatch the Ryder Cup back from Luke Donald’s Europe.
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