FLOURTOWN, Pa. (AP) — 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 , 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 . 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 . 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 “ ,” — 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 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.
___
AP golf:
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation