Keegan Bradley named US Ryder Cup captain over Tiger Woods
The PGA of America has named Bradley, an unconventional choice, to lead the US team at Bethpage Black Stadium on Long Island next year.
Keegan Bradley has played in two Ryder Cups as a player, including in 2012. He will be captain of the U.S. team next year. (Charlie Riedel/AP)
The PGA’s decision to name Keegan Bradley as the next U.S. Ryder Cup captain came as a surprise to many in the golf world, especially given the intense scrutiny that has reportedly been placed on Tiger Woods. “I hadn’t spoken to anybody about it until they told me I was captain,” he said at a news conference in New York on Tuesday.
After the Americans’ uncompetitive performance in last year’s Ryder Cup ended in a 16 1/2-11 1/2 loss to the Europeans in Italy, many golf fans expected the PGA to turn to Woods. USA team captain Zach Johnson has been criticized for several reasons, including the selection of six captains (with a combined score of 4-12-4), the matchup decisions and a perceived lack of preparation and motivation for the tournament.
Instead, the PGA of America named Bradley the player to lead the team next year at Bethpage Black Stadium on Long Island. It’s an unconventional choice. U.S. Ryder Cup captains are often golfers who have experienced setbacks in their playing careers. But Bradley, 38, is ranked 19th in the world and most recently won a PGA Tour title at the Travelers Championship in June 2023. Johnson gave him the captaincy spot on last year’s team, a decision that was criticized at the time.
Bradley also never served as an assistant captain on a winning Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup team, which was considered a requirement for a Ryder Cup job. As a player, he has appeared on just two Ryder Cup teams (both lost in 2012 and 2014) and has a 4–3 match record.
Bradley said Tuesday that he still wants to earn a spot on the team, but will only accept it if he makes the roster through automatic qualifying by earning points through his play in tournaments that lead to next year’s Ryder Cup. He said he wouldn’t choose to be captain himself; last year’s U.S. team was made up of six automatic qualifiers and six captains.
“The big thing for me is I want to play on a team,” Bradley said. After Johnson informed Bradley in August that he would not make the 2023 team, Bradley posted a photo of his bag for the 2012 Ryder Cup, when the United States lost by one point to Europe . Bradley said he hadn’t opened the bag since Sunday’s loss and wouldn’t open it until he was part of a winning Ryder Cup team. Johnson’s phone call informing Bradley he was being cut from the Ryder Cup team was captured in the Netflix documentary “Full Swing.”
“The moment was real. I was devastated,” Bradley said Tuesday. “The whole family took time to overcome this. We were devastated. … I know how difficult a decision Zach had to make. Now sitting here as captain, I have a different perspective on what he went through.
Bradley said Tuesday that Johnson delivered the news that he would be the next Ryder Cup captain in a June 23 phone call. Woods led Team USA to a 16-14 victory over the International Team at the 2019 Presidents Cup in Australia, but the Ryder Cup is seen as an added layer of prestige. As a player, Woods appeared in eight Ryder Cups but had a record of 13-21-3 and the Americans only won the trophy once while Woods was on the roster. In a statement released during Bradley’s press conference on Tuesday, Woods said he “cannot dedicate the time to Team USA and the players that is necessary for me as captain.” He has been actively involved in PGA Tour governance, including being named vice chairman of the newly created board of directors for PGA Tour Enterprises, and is one of the key people trying to negotiate a contract between the tour and its Saudi sponsor, LIV Golf. Woods is also still playing, although injuries have limited his appearances in major championships recently. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to be a team captain in the future,” Woods said. “When I feel like the time is right, I’ll throw my hat in the ring for this committee to make a decision.”
