Mark SchlabachSep 28, 2025, 10:14 PM ET
- Senior college football writer
- Author of seven books on college football
- Graduate of the University of Georgia
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — U.S. captain Keegan Bradley took the blame for his team’s 15-13 loss to the Europeans on Sunday in the 45th Ryder Cup, saying he made a mistake in the course setup at Bethpage Black.
Believing his team would have an advantage in distance off the tee, the rough adjoining the fairways wasn’t as thick or penal as it typically is at Bethpage Black. Heavy rain Thursday softened the greens, leaving many of the U.S. golfers spinning their approach shots off them.
Home Ryder Cup captains have been in charge of setting up courses since 1957.
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“We thought this was the best way to set the golf course up to win,” Bradley said. “You look at past Ryder Cups, and that’s kind of how it goes. You know, sometimes you’ve got to make a decision on what to do, and you know, if I could go back, I probably would have changed that.
“But the Europeans played just incredible golf. [It] doesn’t matter how you set the course up when you play that well.”
After losing the first four sessions and entering the final one down seven points, the Americans nearly staged the greatest comeback in Ryder Cup history, winning 8.5 of the 11 points in singles.
Bradley, who never had been a Ryder Cup vice captain before he was a surprising selection in July 2024 to lead this American team, was left wondering whether thicker rough and firmer greens might have helped the U.S. Bradley was familiar with Bethpage Black, which he played often during his college career at St. John’s.
“We tried to set the course up to help our team,” Bradley said. “Obviously, it wasn’t the right decision. I think anytime you’re the leader of a team or the captain or the coach, or whatever, we talked about this last night, you’re going to get the accolades, and you need to take the blame for when things don’t go well.
“I definitely made a mistake on the course setup. I should have listened a little bit more to my intuition. For whatever reason, that wasn’t the right way to set the course up. The greens were as soft as I’ve ever seen greens without it raining. Especially here, it can get pretty firm, and they never firmed up.”
Bradley was criticized for the U.S. team’s slow start in foursomes (alternate-shot) and fourball (best ball) matches, especially his decision to send Collin Morikawa and Harris English back out together after they were defeated 5 and 4 by Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood in a morning foursomes match Friday. They lost to the European duo 3 and 2 in the same format Saturday.
Bradley, 39, was the youngest captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team since 34-year-old Jack Nicklaus in 1963. Bradley was a surprising selection after Tiger Woods turned down the position after months of discussions with the PGA of America. Woods, a 15-time major champion, said he was too busy with his commitments to the PGA Tour and other endeavors.
Bradley never knew he was in the mix until he received a phone call from Zach Johnson, the U.S. captain in Italy in 2023, offering him the position.
“I think the goal was to give the captaincy a fresh face, a different way to go about things,” Bradley said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. But we have some momentum going forward. I think we can continue down this road, and I’ll help out the best I can to help the next captain or the next whoever it is.”
Woods is considered the favorite to captain the 2027 U.S. team at Adare Manor in Ireland — if he wants the position.
When Bradley was asked Sunday if he would have changed anything else about his time as the U.S. captain or had advice for future ones, he replied that he hadn’t had enough time to reflect after the loss.
Keegan Bradley was left wondering whether thicker rough and firmer greens might have helped the U.S. at Bethpage Black, which played extra soft due to rain ahead of the Ryder Cup. Carl Recine/Getty Images
“I haven’t put much thought into it,” he said. “I had to learn a lot on the fly. I had to rely on a lot of people. I was going up against an incredible team, and you know, in my eyes, I think he’s the best European Ryder Cup captain of all time, Luke Donald.”
Bradley spent months weighing whether to use one of his captain’s picks on himself. He’s the 13th-ranked golfer in the world and was 11th in the U.S. Ryder Cup points standings.
“I did the best that I could, and [tried] to balance playing, but it’s the most fun thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Bradley said. “I wouldn’t trade any of this for a second. I woke up every day excited to do this. It turned me into a different person that I am today, [and] I am very thankful for these guys.”
That drew applause from the 12 American golfers in the post-Ryder Cup news conference at Bethpage Black.
“He was awesome,” Justin Thomas said. “I told him that in the team room today when I saw him. I was like, ‘[I’m] proud of the frame of mind that you got us in today.’ I feel for him. I feel for [Bradley’s wife] Jillian. They gave so much to all of us and the wives. They gave us the best possible situation and circumstances to win, and we unfortunately just didn’t come through for them. Just bummed for him and all of us.”
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