Keegan Bradley, the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup team and the start of something new

NEW YORK — The Google Meet call lasted an hour and a half, but was decidedly wrapped up within five minutes.

Now that Tiger Woods has officially ceased to exist – after months, if not years, of being the frontrunner – who would captain the US Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black in 2025?

A five-point loss to Marco Simone in Rome stained the memory of the American team. The European team’s captain, Luke Donald, had been reappointed to his role just eight weeks after the stomping. Suddenly, when Woods finally decided that the captaincy was too much to handle on top of the PGA Tour-PIF negotiations, the Americans were tasked with coming up with a backup plan. The clock was ticking. There are still thirteen months left until the 45th Ryder Cup.

Outgoing PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, PGA of America President John Lindert, Vice President Don Rea and U.S. Team Manager John Wood went on a video call last month during the Travelers Championship to decide the next American captain.

The remaining candidates all emerged from the Ryder Cup task force pipeline – a system the US team implemented in 2014 that moves PGA Tour players through assistant captain roles on their way to captaincy. The roster, which included Ryder Cup stars such as Fred Couples, Stewart Cink and two-time captain Davis Love III, boasted unparalleled experience at the biennial event. But none struck a chord the way the Americans needed. After a crushing defeat in Rome, the American team had to think outside the box. Zach Johnson, who has been extensively criticized for his poor leadership of Marco Simone, was not a candidate.

Woods’ decision to turn down the captaincy in 2025 opened the door for a “generational change,” according to a source directly involved in the decision who was granted anonymity to speak freely. It was time for Americans to “rip off the Band-Aid” and take a risk.

Waugh – just days before announcing he would step down from his PGA role – was the first to bring up Keegan Bradley’s name during the Ryder Cup Committee call, the source said. Based on a list of names compiled by Waugh, the group sifted through the possibilities. Some were expected, others seemingly came out of left field. A name popped up who had never played in a Ryder Cup.

But only one person gave all six participants in the meeting a ten-second pause: Bradley.

“When we landed on Keegan, everyone’s ears perked up and we thought, yeah, this is the guy,” said Wood, who has collected six Ryder Cups. “It was quite an extensive list. We certainly didn’t want to leave anyone out. When we got to Keegan, it was a unanimous, quick decision.

Bradley had an enormous passion for the Ryder Cup, won a PGA Championship, played collegiate golf at St. John’s University and once practiced weekly at Bethpage Black with his teammates. Spieth quickly expressed his excitement. “There are some choices that don’t sound so nice,” the three-time major champion said, according to the same source. “Playing for Keegan sounds like fun.” Minutes later, the committee reached a final decision.

Bradley – a 38-year-old who was left out of the 2023 team and has not played in the event since 2014 – was set to become the next Ryder Cup captain.

He had no idea he was even in the running.

The American Ryder Cup organization had to change.

Initially, the Ryder Cup Task Force was created to facilitate a transformation in the American structure, which had long had appointed captains based on career performance. A plan was developed to introduce familiar faces to the U.S. team area and create continuity from event to event, including during the Presidents Cup. But every time a captain leaned on those who had sat before him in the big chair instead of new voices as vice-captains, the same problem arose that Woods and Phil Mickelson had opposed a decade ago – leaders who were better acquainted with the Champions. Then tour the modern PGA Tour.

As Waugh told the group, the source said the task force was “made to change and now it has become an agent of non-change.”

Johnson’s leadership at the 2023 Ryder Cup represented the problem at its core. He chose Love, Couples, Cink, Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker as his vice-captains, creating a significant generation gap between players (average age of 30.33) and leadership (55.6). Johnson then used his captain’s picks to select Spieth, Thomas and Rickie Fowler, players he was familiar with on the PGA Tour. Thomas had the worst season of his career and Spieth’s wife gave birth to their second child two weeks early. Johnson still leaned on familiar combinations (like Thomas and Spieth), going against the wishes of certain team members but listening to others. The plan failed and Johnson was accused of cronyism and maintaining a ‘boys club’. At least one former U.S. Ryder Cup team member said he hopes Bradley can provide a reset.

There was no crisis meeting after the team’s crushing loss in Rome, but there was a concerted effort to escape an “echo chamber of sameness.” The view of the Ryder Cup committee was that the US team needed to modernize and that Bradley’s captaincy would be the first big step in the right direction.

Woods’ decision to take himself out of the running made the move possible. Since turning down the chance to captain the 2023 squad in Rome, Woods is set to lead the US squad at Bethpage Black. For months, Woods communicated with the PGA of America, pushing back the deadline for his decision as he considered the feasibility of taking on the role. When Woods takes on a task, he is known for giving it 100 percent. While he served as player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board and helped unify the currently divided professional game, he was unable to make that commitment for the Ryder Cup. Shortly after the US Open, Woods officially turned down the captaincy.

“That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to be captain of a team in the future. If and when I think this is the right time, I will put my hat in the ring for this committee to decide,” Woods said in a statement.

There were signs of change before the fifteen-time champion’s decision.

An entirely new role, the ‘manager’ of the US team, was created and filled by Wood, the caddy turned NBC Sports analyst. Members of the Task Force were excluded from the discussions surrounding the Plan B captain’s list. “I’m officially out of the running now,” Love III said prior to Bradley’s official announcement. “I haven’t heard from anyone, not even Zach.” Phil Mickelson removed himself from the Ryder Cup picture as he took a leading role in the rise of LIV Golf.

There were several factors that brought the group to Bradley. But Woods’ departure caused something dramatic.

As the countdown of Golf Channel’s broadcasts began, Bradley sat next to the president of the PGA of America and the glittering Ryder Cup trophy in the Nasdaq Building in Times Square. Wide-eyed, he collected himself before answering questions about a job he never applied for.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be more surprised by anything in my entire life,” Bradley said Tuesday. “I had no idea. It took a while for it to sink in. I didn’t feel completely comfortable with some of the people who were being passed over. So that was a tough thought and moment.”

Bradley was first informed of the Ryder Cup committee’s decision during a phone call on June 23, the Sunday evening after the final round of the Travelers Championship in Hartford, Conn. Waugh, Johnson and Lindert contacted the Vermont resident and delivered the news.

Days earlier, the group had first mentioned Bradley in the conversation for Ryder Cup captaincy. They waited until the tournament was over to announce their decision.

A year ago, Bradley was left out of the U.S. Ryder Cup team. In a year, he will be in charge and will be the youngest since Arnold Palmer in 1963. Several days passed before Bradley could officially accept the position. At first he felt he didn’t deserve it – and he still can’t quite explain why he was chosen.

“I don’t know, I’m still working on that,” Bradley said. “But I know I can do this job.”

The US Ryder Cup team will rely on Bradley’s enthusiasm for the event as part of his leadership strategy. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Before signing, Bradley spoke with Woods at length about the responsibilities; he even called the 82-time tour winner on the morning of his press conference. He had regular conversations with Waugh over three days. Bradley had no hesitation in accepting the captaincy, but he needed some extra support. He reminded himself that he wasn’t just being singled out by board members in suits. He was picked up by two of his colleagues: Thomas and Spieth.

“As a player, the players’ opinions are the most important,” Bradley said. “That meant the most to me.”

Bradley’s close collaboration with his team members will represent an innovation in the US Ryder Cup leadership strategy. On Tuesday, the six-time PGA Tour winner expressed his desire to appoint younger vice-captains. He said honestly that he will still work to qualify for the team via the Ryder Cup points table (the top six players in the standings currently make up the team, although as captain he indicated he might want to add more automatic qualifiers) . He denounced any prejudice against LIV players in his future selections.

“I’m going to have the best 12 players on the team,” Bradley said. “I don’t care where they play… I don’t worry about the LIV stuff.”

Youth. Analysis. A personal connection with Bethpage Black. Bradley may have been a shocking choice as Ryder Cup captain, but he wasn’t a bad choice.

He has become the latest avatar for change, and the American team is banking its reputation – and its pursuit of the Ryder Cup trophy – on his success.

(Top photo: Seth Wenig/AP)