U-S-A! U-S-A! Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley enjoying patriotism, spoils and tough calls
FLOURTOWN, Pa. — Keegan Bradley is slowly warming up to the All-American soundtrack of 'U-S-A! U-S-A!' chants that follow him around the course ever since he was appointed U.S. Ryder Cup captain.
The real surprise, though, is the patriotic reception and thanks for his service he receives each week at gas stations, restaurants, almost any time the 38-year-old Vermont player goes out in public.
'People buying me dinner and desserts and drinks,' said Bradley, who has topped $49 million in career earnings. 'I didn't expect that. It's been a bonus.'
Bradley heard it all this weekend at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, from fans yelling 'Cap! Cap!' to the standard calls of 'U-S-A!' His fan club would grow a bit in the Northeast anyway, where Bradley — the 2011 PGA Champion — also made his name as a standout golfer from 2006-10 at St. John's. Bradley posted social media photos in March of him wearing a 'C' on a No. 25 St. John's jersey , and even took his young son to Rhode Island for the NCAA Tournament. The Red Storm lost to Arkansas in Providence, but the Bradley boys had a blast.
'Over 20 years of not much to really cheer for,' Bradley said. 'So to have a team that was legit, not just sneaky good, this like, wow, this team is really good. That was a first for me.'
So is running the show for Team USA.
Bradley, who has played on only two Ryder Cup teams and never was an assistant captain, was chosen last July after Tiger Woods could not accept the role to lead the 2025 matches at Bethpage Black in New York.
He held a dinner for prospective Ryder Cup members — yes, even LIV players — on Tuesday at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club with most of the top PGA players in town for the Truist Championship. While there had been informal gatherings over the last 10 months, Keegan had his first organized meeting with players, caddies, wives, to start really discussing the Ryder Cup.
'We've been talking to the boys for over a year now,' Bradley said. 'This was fun to get everyone together under one roof. We called it a dinner but it was really sort of a get-together..'
He will be given six captain's picks to round out his 12-man team.
Bradley last played in the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in Scotland in 2014, when Tom Watson benched him and Phil Mickelson for both Saturday sessions in another European victory. Bradley made his Ryder Cup debut in Medinah in 2012, teaming with Mickelson to go 3-0 before losing to Rory McIlroy in singles in what turned out to be a European victory, the largest comeback by a visiting team.
Bradley has seven PGA Tour victories, the last at the 2024 BMW Championship . At age 38, he will be the youngest American captain since Arnold Palmer was a playing captain in 1963 at East Lake.
Bradley hoped he would serve as a playing captain, but noted, 'I've got to play better than what I'm doing right now.'
He sunk a 23-foot birdie putt on No. 6 and a 31-foot birdie putt on No. 3 to finish Saturday with a 2-under-68. He was at 6-under 234 and out of real contention headed into Sunday's final round on the Wissahickon Course.
'I grew up courses that looked like this,' he said. 'I didn't get to play courses this nice. But big courses, rough everywhere. I just looked really forward to playing this style of golf.'
While most players heaped praise on the course — McIlroy noted it was ' probably 500 or 600 yards too short ,' — Bradley mostly enjoyed his rounds at the Cricket Club.
He really enjoyed golfing in the Northeast.
Bradley is pumped that, by PGA and Pennsylvania standards, there will be a surge of tournaments in the state over the next five years. The 2026 PGA Championship will be held at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square and the 2030 U.S. Open is at Merion Golf Club.
He has a soft spot for Aronimink. Bradley topped Justin Rose with a par on the first playoff hole to win the BMW Championship at the course in 2018 for what was his first PGA Tour victory in six years.
'I think if you to talk to every PGA Tour player, top to bottom, we wish we could play more in the Northeast,' Bradley said. 'We get a treat like this every couple of years, which is great.'
It's even better when Bradley boasts a home-country advantage.
'Me and Rosie weren't enjoying it too much,' Ireland's Shane Lowry said with a laugh after his Friday pairing with Bradley and Rose.
Spoken like a true American captain, Bradley made his pitch for more golf in the Philadelphia suburbs.
'I feel like, for America, this about as classic as it gets, courses like this,' Bradley said.
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She also starred in Broadway's 'Aida.'Rockford Connection: Born and raised in Rockford, attended Auburn High School. Profession: Actor, singerNotable Achievements: Born in Rockford in 1960, Mazzie was a Tony-nominated Broadway star for 'Passion'(1994), 'Ragtime' (1998), and 'Kiss Me, Kate' (1999). Known for her powerful soprano voice, she appeared in 'Next to Normal' and 'Bullets Over Broadway.' She died in Connection: Born and raised in Rockford. Profession: Actor, director, producerNotable Achievements: Born in Rockford in 1962, Mantello won Tony Awards for directing 'Take Me Out' (2003) and 'Assassins' (2004). He earned a Tony nomination for acting in Angels in America (1993) and directed Broadway hits like 'Wicked.'Rockford Connection: Born in Rockford. Profession: PoliticianNotable Achievements: Born in Rockford in 1922, Anderson served as a U.S. Representative from Illinois (1961–81) and ran as an independent in the 1980 presidential election, earning 6.6% of the vote. 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The Netherlands is a hotbed for women's football, with the national team crowned European Champions in 2017 and reaching the World Cup Final in 2019 (Sem van der Wal) Fifteen-year-old Esmee Stuut sprints between cones on a football pitch in the Netherlands, her every movement captured on camera as part of a study into a crippling knee injury that affects girls more than boys. Cruciate ligament injuries can rule out a footballer for several months and teenage girls are especially at risk -- for physical and mental reasons. Advertisement The study Esmee, a youth striker at FC Groningen in the north of the country, is taking part in aims to improve the movement of female teenage footballers like her. "A lot of girls of my age have had it. I'm happy to be able to do my bit to help out," the young player told AFP, breathless from the sprinting exercise. The Netherlands is a hotbed for women's football, with the national team crowned European Champions in 2017 and reaching the World Cup Final in 2019. The small country has 175,000 women club members, with the figure constantly rising. France, for example, has just over 250,000 for a much bigger population. Advertisement "Girls are between four to eight times more likely to get injured than boys at puberty," said Anne Benjaminse, a professor at Groningen University. "The difference starts at around 12," the sports science specialist told AFP. - 'Just bad luck' - And the problem is not just physical -- Benjaminse is also looking into the mental health aspect which she believes plays a major role. Girls mature at different times to boys, ligaments are more fragile during periods. Add to this stress, mood, and fatigue and you get a potent cocktail that results in injury. "Divorce, death, moving around, but also a bad grade at school, an argument. These are small things to us but are big problems for them" that can contribute to physical injury, Benjaminse told AFP. Advertisement Her study, run in co-ordination with European football's governing body UEFA and the Dutch Football Association, looks at girls and young women aged between 12 and 21. In addition to examining physical movement, participants fill out a form detailing their moods over the previous week, enabling researchers to make a link to mental health. The aim is that mental health and movement become a "standard element" in clubs' training methods at the same level as gym work and nutrition, she said. "This should no longer be called into question. Girls should be able to speak out if they don't feel right and coaches should take it into account," the 44-year-old said. Advertisement Back on the pitch, Esmee Stuut performs shuttle runs with rapid changes of direction, with and without the ball, then takes on a defender who appears suddenly. Henderika Kingma, 28, manager of the FC Groningen women's team and Esmee's coach, says two of her players suffered cruciate ligament injuries right at the end of the season. "We have to do everything we can to prevent this injury happening to our young players," Kingma told AFP. "Thanks to this study, I know that my girls have become aware" of the issue, she added. Despite the study and raising awareness of the problem, sports scientist Benjaminse is also philosophical about the injury. "Sometimes it's just bad luck." cvo/ric/phz
