Why Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup captaincy remains one of the year’s best surprises

The past 12 months had it all — crazy winning streaks, new major champs, a major-week arrest (!) and more. With 2025 on the horizon, our writers are looking back at the most memorable moments from 2024.

No. 15 — Charley Hull goes viral
No. 14 — LIV, LPGA CEOs say goodbye
No. 13 — Solheim Cup parking fiasco
No. 12 — Phoenix Open chaos
No. 11 — Lydia Ko’s Hall of Fame resurgence
No. 10 — PGA Tour/Saudi PIF merger stalemate

Biggest moments of 2024 No. 9: Keegan Bradley’s surprise Ryder Cup captaincy

Keegan Bradley, Ryder Cup captain?

With a PGA Championship on his resume, the 38-year-old was certainly on the short list for future captaincies. But this next one, at Bethpage Black? The idea seemed ludicrous. It wasn’t long ago that the obvious choice for that captaincy was Phil Mickelson. Then, in the wake of Mickelson’s departure to LIV, all eyes turned to Tiger Woods.

But after months of speculation, Woods and the PGA of America had yet to confirm that he was taking on the job. Months ticked by. And Woods took on an elevated role on the PGA Tour’s Policy Board. As Player Director, he would be intimately involved in the PIF/PGA Tour merger discussions, meaning the extensive time commitment required for a Ryder Cup captaincy — especially one on home soil — simply would not be possible.

That opened the door for Bradley, who was revealed as the appointee in July. While initial reactions were those of a “wait, WHAT?” variety, five months later, Bradley’s captaincy seems not only totally appropriate, but a positively inspired choice.

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Bradley played his college golf at St. Johns University in Queens — just 24 miles from Bethpage. He’s familiar with the area and the course. And, as millions of Netflix viewers witnessed on “Full Swing,” there is perhaps no player more passionate about the Ryder Cup. Bradley played on the 2012 and 2014 teams — both U.S. losses — and famously refuses to open his still-packed team bag from Medinah until he’s a part of a winning squad.

A resurgent game in recent years meant he was among the front-runners for a captain’s pick nod at the 2023 Cup in Rome, but he was left off the team in gut-wrenching fashion — while Netflix cameras rolled. Bradley’s emotional reaction to the news endeared him to a new legion of fans. And after a sensational 2024 season that included a win at the BMW Championship and two additional runner-up finishes, Bradley has a legitimate shot at not just captaining the 2024 U.S. squad, but playing on it for the first time in more than a decade.

A successful stint at the 2024 Presidents Cup proved his mettle. Bradley, a captain’s pick, went 2-1-0 in the American victory over the Internationals at Royal Montreal. It was Bradley’s second team win at the Presidents Cup, after also being a part of the victorious squad in 2013.

But Bradley has never been a member of a winning Ryder Cup team. And given the heartache he’s endured over the past decade, and the way he’s risen to the occasion in recent months as both a competitor and an out-of-nowhere captain appointee, it’s hard to imagine a more perfect ending to his anguished Ryder Cup career than a win at Bethpage in September.

The full-circle potential here is obvious — and so appealing! While there’s still plenty of uncertainty in terms of what to expect, one thing’s for sure: We can’t wait to see it all play out.