Keegan calls Luke Donald the best European Ryder Cup captain
Keegan Bradley called Luke Donald the best European captain while also taking responsibility for Team USA’s Ryder Cup loss.
PGA
SUTTON — Keegan Bradley’s visit to Pleasant Valley Country Club on Monday served two purposes.
One, to promote the Travelers Championship, a PGA tour event that he won for a second time this past June — and takes place each year in Cromwell, Connecticut.
Two, as a catharsis for Bradley, who recently served as captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
With the United States losing to Europe in the biennial golf competition at Bethpage Black Golf Course in Farmingdale, NY last month, Bradley, who decided to remain solely as captain instead of playing in the highly-anticipated golf event, made his first public appearance Monday since the Ryder Cup concluded 22 days ago.
“You win, it’s glory for a lifetime. You lose, it’s … ‘I’m going to have to sit with this for the rest of my life,’” Bradley said. “There’s no part of me that thinks I’ll ever get over this.”
For Bradley, who grew up in Vermont, lived in New Hampshire from 2001-2002 and then moved to Hopkinton for his senior year of high school, Monday’s media day appearance for the Travelers Championship allowed him a chance to fully express his experience as captain of the US team after taking some time to debrief.
The 39-year-old professional golfer said he’s still trying to come out of the “Ryder Cup fog.”
After being passed over for the previous Ryder Cup team in 2023, Bradley, a two-time selection as a player, was appointed captain of the U.S. team this go around. As betting favorites in Long Island, the Americans struggled in the first two days of team competition before nearly making a historic comeback during Sunday singles.
Still, the Europeans won the Ryder Cup. And it’s a loss that will forever stay with Bradley.
“Ryder Cup to now has been one of the toughest times of my life,” Bradley told ESPN sportscaster and event emcee Chris Berman Monday from a reception area at the picturesque course in Sutton.
While the Ryder Cup aftermath served as the course du jour on Monday, Bradley and Berman also talked about the New England Patriots (who Bradley roots for and is friendly with Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel), Bradley winning his second Travelers Championship in dramatic fashion over Tommy Fleetwood four months ago and Bradley’s current chief responsibility.
“My most important thing is being a good dad,” Bradley said.
And what was important for Bradley on Monday was to express the wide array of emotions that came with being captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
It was a catharsis of sorts in Sutton for the PGA golfer from New England.
“I got to experience something in the game of golf that I don’t think anyone’s ever experienced,” he said, “where I’m the Ryder Cup captain but also competing at a very high level, and winning tournaments and contending in tournaments. And it was really incredible.”
—Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.
