Keegan Bradley was as surprised as anyone that he had been chosen to be the U.S. captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be more surprised with anything in my life,” Bradley said on Tuesday during a press conference in Manhattan officially announcing his selection. “I was in complete shock. (PGA CEO) Seth Waugh said to me, ‘Your number was called and it’s time for you to step up.’ ”
Bradley, a six-time PGA Tour winner, including the 2011 PGA Championship, has played in two Ryder Cups – none since 2014 – and one Presidents Cup. He has never been an assistant captain or captain for either biennial competition. Bradley, who will be 39 at the time of next year’s Ryder Cup, will be the youngest Ryder Cup captain since 34-year-old Arnold Palmer was a playing captain in 1963. Bradley, who is ranked No. 19 in the Official World Golf Ranking and 37th in this season’s FedEx Cup standings, said he’d like to make the team as a player but would have to earn enough points to be an automatic qualifier.
Bradley’s selection is a departure from how the U.S. side has been picking its captain since the Ryder Cup Task Force was formed after its defeat in Scotland in 2014. Phil Mickelson often had talked about his desire to be the captain of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black but forfeited that honor when he joined LIV Golf. Tiger Woods, who served as the winning captain of the 2019 Presidents Cup and was an eight-time Ryder Cup participant, was the frontrunner for the job but elected to pass on the position this time around.
“With my new responsibilities to the Tour and time commitments involved, I felt I would not be able to commit the time to Team USA and the players required as a captain,” Woods said in a statement. “It doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to captain a team in the future. If, when I feel it is the right time, I will put my hat in the ring for this committee to decide.”
Keegan Bradley celebrates with the trophy after winning the final round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on June 25, 2023 in Cromwell, Connecticut. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Bradley was left off the 2023 U.S. team that lost in Rome in September despite finishing 11th in the point standings and ahead of captain’s picks Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas. The world witnessed his disappointment in the Netflix documentary “Full Swing,” when he received a phone call from…
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