by Keegan Bradley is set to captain the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2025 at Bethpage Black. On Monday morning, Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig reported it would in fact be Bradley who will drive the head golf cart in 2025, after early speculation of a Tiger Woods captaincy cooled in recent months during his increased role with the PGA Tour negotiations. Official announcement of the Bradley move came later Monday and a press conference is scheduled for Noon E.T. on Tuesday.
Davis Love III, Tiger Woods, Keegan Bradley, and Dustin Johnson ahead of the 2012 Ryder Cup
A two-time Ryder Cupper (2012 & 2014), Bradley has a career 4-3-0 record as a participant, including a 4-1-0 record as a partner with Phil Mickelson. More recently, Bradley was left off the 2023 Ryder Cup team when Zach Johnson instead chose Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns, and Brooks Koepka with his captain’s picks for Rome. The decision was shown in detail in Netflix’s Full Swing docu-series and the cameras were even at Bradley’s house when he was told the bad news. Given Johnson’s friendly ties to Spieth, Thomas, and Fowler, leaving Bradley off the team was widely seen as a controversial move that favored those in the in crowd, or “buddy system” as it came to be known. Interestingly enough, Harig also reported on Monday that Zach Johnson, Jordan Spieth, and Justin Thomas were among the committee that ultimately tapped Bradley for the job.
As evidenced by his still unopened suitcase from 2012, Bradley has an enthusiasm for the Ryder Cup that is unmatched by most of his peers. His energy at Medinah in 2012 became legend in its own way. After sitting the entire second day of the 2014 matches captained by Tom Watson, it’s been clear that Bradley has been eager for another opportunity. “My passion and appreciation for golf’s greatest team event have never been stronger,” Bradley said in a press release. “The Ryder Cup is unlike any other competition in our sport, and this edition will undoubtedly be particularly special given the rich history and enthusiastic spectators at this iconic course.”
A St. John’s product who played college rounds at Bethpage, the selection of Bradley as captain is surprising in many ways, least of which being the fact that he was passed over in 2023. It had long been thought that Woods had first right to the job in 2025, and when it became clear that Tiger wouldn’t take the job this time around, it seemed like signs pointed to Stewart Cink or Fred Couples, older options. At least, that’s how the old Ryder Cup boys club would have worked. Instead, we have an out-of-left-field Keegan Bradley captaincy and a boisterous New York crowd on tap for 2025.
It’s a bit early to call this decision a shift in the way the U.S. Ryder Cup goes about choosing its captains. Keegan is far from the most obvious or conventional choice and given the exclusion last year, very few would have even had him on the radar. But after another embarrassing defeat on European soil, it may be time that the Americans have decided to focus on who has the passion for the job, not who is next in line.
