New American Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley has wasted little time in approaching the figures he wants on board to help his team regain the trophy in New York next year. The 38-year-old was considered a surprise choice when he was confirmed in the role this month, after clear favourite Tiger Woods withdrew from the race.
Bradley played on the losing side at both the 2012 ‘Miracle of Medinah’ and in Gleneagles two years later, and still remains very much active on the PGA Tour.
He missed the cut at last week’s Open Championship at Royal Troon, but seemingly used the tournament to build for Bethpage next September.
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The 2011 US PGA champion previously admitted he sought out Woods for talks in Scotland, and still wants the icon to help lead Team USA despite him citing his off-course commitments when declining the captaincy. "I've told Tiger that I want him to be as involved as he wants to be," said Bradley
"With The Open going on, we're not really chatting too much about the Ryder Cup. We both have a job to do and I don't want to bother Tiger with that. I think in the coming months - we're still 14 months out here, so we've got a long time."
Bradley has also reportedly been in contact with predecessor Zach Johnson, who was in charge as his side were beaten 16.5-11.5 by Team Europe in Rome in 2023. And the 48-year-old was said to approve of his compatriot opting for Webb Simpson as one of his vice-captains.
Upon the appointment, Bradley himself hailed Simpson “a valuable member of our leadership team and a trusted resource for me.” He added: “He possesses a wealth of team golf experience and knows what it takes to win.”
And he has now revealed he’s been in touch with other former skippers, and has thus far relished meeting with potential players and team members. He’s also planning further meetings before finalising his final line-up.
“I heard from a lot of captains, texts and congratulatory stuff,” he said. “I plan on probably when the season's over really starting to reach out to the old captains and sort of picking their brains on what they thought they did right, what they thought they did wrong.
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“Just seeing their faces and getting to see their reaction and have them tell me what they think about the upcoming Ryder Cup and some of my plans has been beneficial. It's been a real therapeutic thing for me to see the guys. That's been the best part.”
Team Europe have been the dominant side in the Ryder Cup in the past three decades, winning 10 of the past 14 meetings. The 2025 version will take place from September 26 to 28, and will be played in front of a full crowd after the last Ryder Cup on US soil, in Wisconsin in 2021, was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
