Tour Confidential: How will Keegan Bradley fare as Ryder Cup captain?

keegan bradley fist pumps during ryder cup

Keegan Bradley was named the U.S. Ryder Cup captain in a surprise announcement last week.

Getty Images

Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup captaincy, the biggest Open Championship storylines and more.

In a surprising announcement, Keegan Bradley was named U.S. Ryder Cup captain for the 2025 event at Bethpage Black. Bradley, 38, played in two Ryder Cups (2012, 2014), has never been an assistant captain and wasn’t on the 2023 team that lost in Rome. Now that we are a few days removed from the pick, what are your thoughts? A good decision? Or could the lack of experience prove costly?

James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26): My thoughts are that the Americans desperately needed a big swing after Rome, and in Bradley, they took one. If I were an American fan, I’d be happy: I much prefer when my teams take high-risk, high-upside swings. Maybe Keegs isn’t the most prepared guy for the job, but with the crowds expected at Bethpage, it might not matter.

Sean Zak, senior writer (@sean_zak): I think things are gonna get weird. At some point in 2025, Bradley will contend to win a PGA Tour event, validating all the questions about his potential as a playing captain. But I believe what Rory McIlroy said On Thursday in Scotland: “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.” The event is too big, the requests too many, the relationships too fraught for Bradley to have an easy-breezy captaincy while being a top 20 player in the world, too. John Wood will certainly help him out. But he may end up handling a bit more than we previously imagined.

Zephyr Melton, assistant editor (@zephyrmelton): It’s certainly unorthodox, but I can appreciate that the Americans are at least trying to think outside the box. I’d much prefer to see something wacky than watch them continue using a system that they haven’t had much success with. The jury is out on whether or not the pick will work out, but at least they’re showing some willingness to zig when everyone expects them to zag.

Rory McIlroy said the pick seemed “quite reactionary to what happened in Rome.” Do you agree? If the U.S. would have won the last Cup, would Bradley have been the pick?

Colgan: Absolutely yes. It was reactionary, but that’s what most leadership decisions are. If Tiger had been available, we’d be speaking about this captainship with much different language, but he wasn’t, and Keegan was a good choice from the rest of the field.

Zak: It was more a reaction to Tiger Woods not being available. That’s what this entire thing is about, really. If the U.S. wins in Rome, Zach Johnson probably captains the team again. He’d be considered an American hero.

Melton: Agree with what SZ said above. Tiger was always Plan A, and when he turned down the position, the pickings were slim. It was the perfect storm for an unorthodox hire.

In his introductory press conference, Bradley said he “didn’t have one conversation with anybody about this until I was told I was the captain.” Were you surprised by that? What can we take away from that comment?

Colgan: Uhh, yeah, you should probably interview for the most important job in American golf before you’re hired. But there’s not much Keegan would say about the Ryder Cup behind closed doors that he hasn’t already said publicly. I imagine that helped the U.S. side feel some comfort.

News
Keegan Bradley
1 ominous truth about Keegan Bradley as Ryder Cup captain
By: Sean Zak
Zak: I was stunned by that admission. 1. That it was genuine. We love a Ryder Cup captain — a role that requires a lot of answering questions — who isn’t afraid to tell the truth. 2. I think it shows just how little connection the younger generation of American golfers (read: JT, Spieth, et all) have with the generation that preceded them (read: Cink, Kuchar, et al). Thomas said all he wants is a captain the team would be excited to play for. That he couldn’t see that in the Cink and Kuchar types tells you players of his generation want a bit more than just a longtime Tour pro with a bit of success.

Melton: That was very shocking and a bit concerning. You would hope he would’ve gone through an interview process before getting the nod. Let’s hope the lack of a vetting process doesn’t come back to bite the Americans.

Bradley wasn’t that far from making the team last year, and at 19th in the World Ranking it wouldn’t be surprising if he qualified via points (he said he would not use a captain’s pick on himself). Since Bradley is still competitive, though, it’s more likely than previous Ryder Cups that the captain could actually play as well. But could that situation hinder the team? Or would Bradley either not play or simply give up the captaincy to an assistant?

Colgan: I think Bradley would serve his country well by either being captain or playing in the Cup, not both. How funny would it be if, after all this hubbub, he made the team and handed the captainship off to Tiger Woods?

Zak: Would love that result, James. Imagine Tiger would, too. Like I wrote above, I do envision things getting weird next year at some point. Bradley winning in the spring or early summer months is not a wild idea, but it’s exactly the kind of thing that would give him a ton of points and make the team-building situation a bit awkward.

Melton: A first-time captain also playing in the event doesn’t seem like a recipe for success, but stranger things have happened. I don’t expect Keegan to make the team, though, so this scenario should remain a hypothetical.

It’s no secret the job was Tiger Woods’ if he wanted it, but Woods decided he couldn’t fully commit to the position while also managing his other obligations. When do you expect Woods to take his turn?

Colgan: I think Adare Manor in ‘27 is a very likely spot for Tiger. Captaining the Ryder Cup at the site of good friend JP McManus’ magnum opus would be good optics for Woods, and leading the U.S. into its attempt for the first win on European soil in four decades would be … epic.

News

Why Tiger Woods turned down the U.S. Ryder Cup captaincy
By: Jack Hirsh
Zak: Yes, Ireland in ‘27 makes good sense. He was playing captain in an important road victory in the Presidents Cup. We know he enjoys the idea of tactical missions. Winning a road Cup would be among the best stamps he could make on an average Ryder Cup career.

Melton: Agreed it would be epic, but I’d hate to see Tiger’s captaincy end in another U.S. loss on European soil. I’d much prefer him to wait until 2029 so he can lead an American triumph on home turf.

Next up, the final men’s major of the year, the Open Championship at Royal Troon. It’s the 10th time Troon has hosted an Open, with the most recent playing back in 2016 when Henrik Stenson outdueled Phil Mickelson. Is Rory McIlroy’s first major coming off his U.S. Open heartbreak the biggest storyline of the week? If not, what is?

Colgan: There’s no bigger story in the sport right now than Rory’s return, but here are two others that have piqued my interest: Bryson’s push for the best major season of his life, and Scottie Scheffler’s attempt to close out a historic season with his first major win away from Augusta. It’s a good week to have a good week.

Zak: I love the last major of the year. And not just because I’m a part-time Scot. But mostly because there have been three different major winners this year, which means each of them gets the chance to be the double-major winner of 2024. It’s been six years since we had a single player win two majors in the men’s game, and we’ve got a great crop of contenders between Scottie, Xander and Bryson.

Melton: My colleagues have done a great job outlining the main storylines above, so I’ll go in a different direction. I’ll be interested to see the form of Jon Rahm. His first season on LIV has seen the Spaniard have a disappointing major season thus far. But all of that would be forgotten with a win at Royal Troon.

Three players have already won majors this year: Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau. Without a win at Troon, which pro might walk away from the 2024 major season the most disappointed?

Colgan: Obviously Rory is the clear answer, but how about Collin Morikawa, whose game has been probably second-best in the world over the last 6 months, and who has only a handful of top-5s to show for it?

Zak: Yes, James nailed the top two answers here. Most people think Rory is the clear answer for disappointment because he’ll be a clear 10 years removed from his last major win, but it’s not about the 10 years for me anymore. It’s about another year of top-3-in-the-world golf without it punching through in the four events that matter most. It’ll be another year of three impressive wins (Dubai, Zurich, and Quail Hollow) and zero massive wins. Such incredible golf but not the kind that he wants most. That’s the tantalizing kind of disappointment.

Melton: How about Brooks Koepka? After a PGA win in 2023, he looked like he was back to being the baddest dude in golf, but this year he’s yet to even register a top 25 in the majors. For someone who only cares about the four big ones, being uncompetitive for an entire season has to sting.