Keegan Bradley, captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, is in earnest trying to lift the “Ryder Cup haze.” He dealt with an unforgiving tournament that exhausted him physically and emotionally. Appointed last year, he took on Europe last summer on New York’s Long Island with a decidedly more talented and, in many ways, less experienced team. In spite of her formidable leadership, the U.S. team underperformed. Since then, Bradley has spent quite a bit of time reflecting on the impact that experience had on him.
Bradley, a two-time Ryder Cup competitor, couldn’t hide his disappointment at the event’s result in a short sit-down interview after the event ended. He acknowledged that the experience was one of the toughest in his life, admitting, “Since the Ryder Cup to now has been one of the toughest times in my life.” Leading his team in such a high stakes environment created extreme pressure on him. He was obviously pained by the responsibility he bore for many of the unfortunate decisions taken during the tournament.
On top of the emotional toll, the incredibly physically taxing competition took a major toll on Bradley while competing. “By the second or third day I was like ‘It’s a good thing I’m not playing,’ because I was so physically exhausted,” he stated. His fatigue compounded the deep sense that he was failing as a mayor and leader of his city. That was particularly the case given how the first two days of the tournament went completely haywire.
“You put so much into it, and you have all this planning, and the first two days went as poorly as we could have ever thought,” he reflected. The rain and design of the course provided some tricky conditions that our students had to navigate. Bradley would go on to accept blame for this outcome.
Even with this disappointment, Bradley has been trending well lately on the PGA Tour. He won the 2024 BMW Championship and picked up a win in Hartford in June. Needless to say, his performance has been equally outstanding! In reality, he actually won more tournament titles than any other American golfer during this period, with the exception of Scottie Scheffler. As the defending champion of the Travelers Championship, Bradley is still a strong force when it comes to competition on tour.
I really would enjoy playing in one more [Ryder Cup]. I don’t know if I’ll get the chance,” he expressed, hinting at his desire to contribute to future events despite his recent struggles. There’s no question about his commitment to the sport while he wrestles with the defeat of his captaincy.
The bond Bradley formed with American fans proved an invaluable reservoir of support during this trying period. He talked about how much he valued their support and encouragement at every tour stop from coast to coast. Yet, he was still open about what he thought about the actual experience of the Ryder Cup. “You win, it’s glory for a lifetime. You lose, it’s ‘I’m going to have to sit with this for the rest of my life,’” he lamented. This event has personally kicked my ass. It’s such a weird thing to love something so much that just doesn’t give you anything.
As Bradley seeks to regain his footing among the top players on the PGA Tour, his recent successes offer hope for a brighter future. He wants to use the experience from the Ryder Cup to refocus himself on the big picture, his game.
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