“He’s a leader.” That’s how one of the game’s most respected veterans described Keegan Bradley as the 2025 Ryder Cup looms. The praise wasn’t generic. It came with weight, from someone who has lived the Ryder Cup experience both as a player and a captain. Bradley’s journey to this pivotal year has been anything but ordinary. A major champion in his rookie year of 2011 and a five-time PGA TOUR winner, the 38-year-old entered 2025 with eyes on two roles: elite competitor and Team USA captain.
The dual role, player and captain, comes with pressure. And one man who knows exactly how heavy that burden can feel is Ben Crenshaw. Appearing on The Smylie Show, Crenshaw offered rare insight into what Bradley may be dealing with behind the scenes. “First of all, Keegan’s very competitive, really competitive. He’s playing really well,” Crenshaw said. “I actually texted him a good while ago and I said, ‘Just keep making the team. You’re playing great.’” This text was not only encouragement, but valuable advice from someone who captained one of the most iconic Ryder Cup comebacks in history—the 1999 U.S. team at Brookline.
Crenshaw understands the psychology of the event, the nuance of pairings, and the inevitable second-guessing that comes with every decision a captain makes. “He’s a leader. A I know that many nights he puts his head on the pillow and goes, ‘How am I going to pair these guys?’” Crenshaw added. “Because you don’t want to make a mistake. But it’s an impossibility that your pairings will be infallible. It doesn’t work that way.” Crenshaw’s words are grounded in reality, not theory. During his career, he played on four Ryder Cup teams (1977, 1979, 1981, and 1983) and was at the helm for the unforgettable 1999 win. His rallying speech before Sunday singles—”I’m a big believer in fate. I have a good feeling about this. That’s all I’m going to tell you.”—still echoes through Ryder Cup lore.
Aug 25, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Keegan Bradley plays his shot from the ninth tee during the second round of the TOUR Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Now, as Bradley begins crafting his own chapter, Crenshaw sees the same fire in him. “You have some guys that you wouldn’t think would do well, [but they] excel in the Ryder Cup. There’s an extra gear that sometimes they find. But you know one thing: those guys live and breathe for the Ryder Cup. And it’s… it’s maybe at the top of their list. It’s amazing. And they’ve got some unbelievable players.” Bradley is still in the thick of the 2025 PGA TOUR season, and the Ryder Cup at Bethpage promises to be a career-defining moment. As Crenshaw knows well, it won’t be about perfection, it’ll be about leadership—the very quality that Bradley already embodies. Something that might also be the reason for his captaincy selection.
Why was Bradley a great pick for captaincy?
In July 2024, Keegan Bradley was appointed as the captain of the U.S. team for the 2025 Ryder Cup, set to take place at Bethpage Black in New York from September 26–28. The decision made headlines across the golf world, not just for its significance, but for its symbolism—Bradley, at 38, became the youngest American Ryder Cup captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963. The appointment came after Tiger Woods declined the role, and many within the game saw Bradley as the emotional and competitive leader the team needed. His fiery speech in the Presidents Cup locker room, later featured in a Netflix documentary, helped seal that reputation, though Bradley later clarified his remarks were about rallying his squad and not disrespecting Team Europe.
When the Ryder Cup committee pivoted from Tiger Woods as the likely captain for 2025, it didn’t take long for Keegan Bradley’s name to rise to the top and stay there. In fact, the decision came together in just four days. PGA of America President John Lindert described it plainly: “As soon as it was mentioned—Keegan Bradley—it was, yeah, absolutely, a hundred percent.” The committee considered other options, but Bradley’s fire, pedigree, and regional ties made him, as Lindert put it, “a slam dunk.” Though he’s never served as a vice captain, Lindert made it clear experience wasn’t the only factor. “We picked the best person that we knew to pick and put everything else aside,” he said.
Bradley’s credentials made the choice feel natural. He’s a former PGA champion, winning at Atlanta Athletic Club in 2011, the same course where Palmer led the U.S. team nearly six decades earlier. His passion for the Ryder Cup is well documented, and his performance in past editions (4-3 record across 2012 and 2014) showed just how much he thrives in that environment. With the home crowd behind him and a chip still on his shoulder, Bradley’s Ryder Cup story is only just beginning.
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