Keegan Bradley named US captain for golf’s 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black
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Keegan Bradley hits the ball from the second hole fairway during the Travelers Championship golf tournament on June 22.
PHOTO: REUTERS
NEW YORK – Keegan Bradley has been named United States captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York, the PGA of America announced on July 8, after a search process during which they also talked to Tiger Woods about taking the job.
Bradley succeeds two-time Major champion Zach Johnson as US captain after the latter faced plenty of criticism following the last edition of the biennial event, where his squad failed to get the job done against Europe.
“We are confident that with Keegan at the helm, the 2025 US Ryder Cup Team will compete at Bethpage with the same confidence and determination that has defined his career,” PGA of America president John Lindert said in a press statement.
Woods, who won the 2002 US Open at Bethpage Black, had been the overwhelming favourite to take over as captain but has been busy off the golf course and previously said he was unsure if he could devote the necessary time the position demands.
Bradley’s appointment as captain comes after he was left out of the 2023 US Ryder Cup squad in a year in which his six top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour included two wins.
The 38-year-old counts the 2011 PGA Championship among his six wins on the PGA Tour.
In his two Ryder Cup appearances – 2012 and 2014 – Bradley amassed a 4-3 record.
“My passion and appreciation for golf’s greatest team event have never been stronger,” said Bradley.
“The Ryder Cup is unlike any other competition in our sport, and this edition will undoubtedly be particularly special, given the rich history and enthusiastic spectators at this iconic course.”
Woods, in addition to playing a limited schedule, is involved in numerous business ventures and part of the peace negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi backers of LIV Golf.
When asked about the captain’s job in May, ahead of the PGA Championship, he said the two sides were still talking about what that would look like and whether he had the time to do it.
“I’m dedicating so much time to what we’re doing with the PGA Tour. I don’t want to not fulfil the role of the captaincy if I can’t do it,” the 48-year-old said in May.
The 15-time Major champion was an obvious candidate for the captaincy, having made eight appearances as a player in the Ryder Cup between 1997 and 2018, during which he compiled an overall record of 13 wins, 21 losses and three halved matches.
Woods was also a victorious player-captain for the 2019 Presidents Cup and served as a captain’s assistant for the Ryder Cup.
Team Europe announced in November 2023 that Englishman Luke Donald, who led his team to a convincing Ryder Cup victory in Italy in 2023, will return as captain for the 2025 edition. REUTERS
