Keegan Bradley was a surprising selection as Ryder Cup captain.
Bradley hadn’t played in a Ryder Cup since 2014. He had never been a Vice Captain, and had never won the tournament as a player.
He was fresh off a humiliating snubbing for the 2023 Ryder Cup. As seen on Netflix’s Full Swing, Bradley was devastated not to be picked by captain Zach Johnson, despite finishing in the top 12 of Team USA’s Ryder Cup standings.
At 38 years old, Bradley was still playing his best golf, and still had hopes of playing his way onto the American team at Bethpage Black. But that dream was again taken from him when he was chosen as captain.
Bradley finished in the top 12 once again ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup, but felt that his captain’s duties meant he couldn’t justify playing in New York. And in the end, Bradley made costly mistakes as captain which led to Team USA losing on home soil for the first time since 2012.
Who could have predicted that? Apparently Rory McIlroy could! His comments when Bradley was announced as captain have been proven to be completely correct.
Rory McIlroy said you cannot be a Ryder Cup captain while playing
McIlroy said Bradley couldn’t be a playing captain in the lead up to the Ryder Cup, but when Bradley’s captaincy was announced, he also said that he couldn’t prepare for a Ryder Cup as captain while playing at the top level.
He said that the preparation and planning that goes into a Ryder Cup meant that he didn’t think it was possible for Bradley to be competing for wins on the PGA Tour at the same time.
McIlroy said that he has considered taking on the role at Adare Manor in 2027, but ultimately decided it was too much work. He said, “I’ve contemplated it for Adare and there’s too much work that goes into it.
“I’ve seen what Luke [Donald] went through preparing for Rome. There’s no way you can be as good a captain as you need to be and be playing as well. It’s been mentioned, and I’ve just said, ‘No way.’
“If you want to be the best captain you can be, you can’t play. And if you want to be the best player you can be, you can’t captain. It’s one or the other. Especially with how big the Ryder Cup has become and how many things you have to do in the lead-up to the event, the week of the event.”
It became increasingly clear that Donald had prepared Team Europe far better than Bradley prepared Team USA once the Ryder Cup began. Bradley made crucial mistakes with his pairings that allowed Europe to take a dominant lead into Sunday.
Not only was Bradley juggling his captain’s responsibilities with his playing time, he was also trying to play his way onto the team to play in New York. That meant the Americans weren’t ready for the well-oiled machine waiting for them at Bethpage.
Rory McIlroy said continuity is key to European success
While Team USA picked a Ryder Cup captain out of left field, Europe’s continuity through the decades has been a crucial element to their dominance at the Ryder Cup.
That goes beyond Donald returning as a back-to-back captain, and picking 11 of the 12 players from Rome to play in New York. Continuity is something that is threaded throughout the entire organization.
That’s something that McIlroy thought the PGA of America had overlooked when selecting Bradley.
He said, “It’s an interesting appointment. The youngest captain since Arnold Palmer I think was a playing captain as 34. But he knows Bethpage very well. He went to university in the area. He’s obviously very passionate about the Ryder Cup.
“It’s obviously an unbelievable opportunity for Keegan and just speaking from a European point of view, it’s really nice to have the continuity we’ve had over the years, with vice captains becoming captains, and then even [former captain] Paul McGinley becoming a strategic adviser to us for Bethpage next year as well.
“Just to have those familiar faces in the room, I think it’s been a good thing for us.”
As Donald weighs whether to return as captain for the third time, his likely replacements follow the same trend. Francesco Molinari and Justin Rose are among the names being mentioned as likely captains for Adare Manor.
All of the names being floated have been long-standing parts of Team Europe in recent Ryder Cups. They have absorbed all the keys to success, and will carry them over to the next generation.
With Bradley, Team USA had none of that, and that’s a lesson for them to take into 2027.
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