It’s been three weeks since Team USA’s defeat in the Ryder Cup, but the wounds are still raw for Keegan Bradley. In fact, the American captain has no hope of putting his frustration behind him anytime soon.
“There’s no part of me that thinks I’ll ever get over this,” he said recently, according to The Associated Press.
Bradley had not made any public appearances since leaving Bethpage Black after losing to Team Europe 15-13. The occasion came on Monday at media day for the 2026 Travelers Championship, which Bradley attended as defending champion.
Unsurprisingly, the Ryder Cup took center stage at his press conference. Bradley reflected on his feelings about the biannual event, conveying a truly heartbreaking message.
“You put so much into it, and you have all this planning, and the first two days went as poorly as we could have ever thought,” he said, according to the AP. “It was pretty emotional. It was sad, to be honest.”
Team USA entered Sunday’s singles round facing a daunting seven-point deficit. The Americans mounted a near-miraculous comeback, securing 8.5 of the 12 points at stake. But the damage had already been done: two lackluster opening days proved too costly, and the U.S. ultimately fell short, marking their second consecutive Ryder Cup defeat.
“Since the Ryder Cup to now has been one of the toughest times in my life,” Bradley acknowledged.
Keegan Bradley Revisited his Decision of not Picking Himself
Tempers have calmed with the passage of time, but the question of whether Bradley should have played remains a matter of debate. The American captain revisited the controversy during the same press conference, acknowledging the difficulty of the decision and finally revealing the ultimate reason behind his choice.
“I’ll forever wonder and wish that I had a chance to play there,” he said, according to The Associated Press. “The first practice day, I was out on the tee, and I was watching the guys walk down the fairway all together, and I said: ‘I wish I was playing. That’s what it’s all about. I’m missing out.’”
“By the second or third day, I was like ‘It’s a good thing I’m not playing,’ because I was so physically exhausted,” he added.
“Good thing I didn’t do it, because it would have been bad. I just didn’t think I could do both jobs.”
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