You might call it a New York state of mind. With the Ryder Cup set for next month in Bethpage on Long Island, I was compelled to travel first to the PGA TOUR’s regular season finale, the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, NC, to try and catch up with Keegan Bradley before he turned his full attention to the FedEx Cup Playoffs. This effort would set the stage for a conversation shaped by Bradley’s and my own New York roots.
Bradley, 39, a major winner, graduated from St. John’s in 2008—another strong Big Apple connection. His time in New York would prove relevant to both his playing career and the upcoming Ryder Cup.
“We played all over Long Island, we played Westchester, we didn’t really have a home course. We played our home event at Bethpage, but we just would go wherever they would have us,” Bradley said. “I wanted to be a pro, play on the PGA TOUR my entire life, even when I was a little kid. So, I went to St. John’s, hoping.”
It’s a return to friendly confines where Bradley has every intention of doing some home cooking and serving a memorable feast for the United States on Bethpage Black. That sense of familiarity is rooted in his early experiences on these courses.
“Well, I first played on Bethpage in my freshman year at St. John’s and I’d never played on a major championship style golf course. You go to Bethpage, you look at it, and it looks like a major. So, that was really special. And now when I go back, I have all these incredible memories of playing out there with my teammates,” he reflected, transitioning from his past experiences to the thrill of returning as U.S. Captain.
Bradley, now 39, has won eight times on TOUR, including the PGA Championship in 2011. He also claimed the Travelers Championship twice, most recently this past June, highlighting his enduring competitiveness.
Few fans will forget Bradley’s come-from-behind victory in Connecticut at TPC River Highlands. Englishman Tommy Fleetwood held a three-shot lead with four holes remaining, but faltered as Bradley rallied—draining a 35-foot birdie putt on the 15th. On the final hole, Fleetwood’s tee shot found a bunker for a bogey finish while Bradley stuck his approach to within 6 feet for the win.
The New England crowd erupted into loud chants of USA! USA! Amid that electrifying atmosphere, I mentioned to close friends how exciting a Bradley vs. Fleetwood match could be this fall. This led naturally to a question I’ve wanted to ask him face-to-face, especially as the Ryder Cup approaches, Sept. 23-28.
“Well, we’re going to see. We’ve still got four weeks here before we make the pick, so we’re weighing all the options out,” Bradley responded. “But as of right now, I’m just focused on being the captain.”
Should he decide to activate himself to the roster for this year’s Ryder Cup, Bradley would become the first player-captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963, some 23 years before the Vermont native was born—building on his legacy in the prestigious biennial event.
As a player, Bradley has twice represented the United States, compiling a record of 4 wins, 3 losses, and no ties. In 2012 at Medinah, he went 3-1-0; at Gleneagles in 2014, his result was 1-2-0.
Team USA has a 27-15-2 record. Europe has won ten of the last 14 editions. The Americans’ recent wins came back-to-back in 2016 and 2021, both at home. So, a three-peat is certainly top of mind.
“It would mean everything,” Bradley shared. “We have a job to do, and when you’re a home team at the Ryder Cup, you’re expected to win, and we expect to do that.”
Four years ago, in 2021 at Whistling Straits with Steve Stricker as captain, the U.S. won 19-to-9. In contrast, the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome saw Captain Zach Johnson and the Americans fall to Team Europe, 16.5 to 11.5.
Given his relationship with both Stricker and Johnson, it was well worth asking what Bradley might have learned from their leadership and experiences.
With anticipation building for Bethpage, Bradley is poised to blend his experiences—both as a competitor and a student of past captains—into a vision for his team. The stakes are high, and his resolve clear.
“I think that I take away all the good things that I’ve seen or experienced from captains and all the things that I would have done differently and combine the two, and hopefully run the team the best I can.”
For Keegan Bradley, this Ryder Cup is more than competition—it’s a homecoming, a legacy, and an opportunity to etch his name in Ryder Cup history.