THE RYDER CUP

September 27, 2025

Keegan Bradley

Bethpage Black Course

Team USA

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: United States Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley joins us now.

Keegan, what was your message to the team tonight?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: The message was, I was at that 28-3 game against the Falcons. I was there. I was also at the game where Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson against the Seahawks.

But my message was, if you were a 16-year-old kid, and you were going to get to go play for your country in singles in New York at Bethpage Black, you would be so excited.

Of course I want to go out there and make history tomorrow. They all do. But I think you've got to relish in the opportunity to get out on the course tomorrow and play for your country at a course like this, at a venue like this. I think it's something that you've got to look forward to.

Q. You're a man who famously wears his heart on his sleeve. How are you feeling honestly, right now?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: We feel good. The Europeans have played incredible. It's been really impressive to see. This is, you know, for me, being up close, I think it's one of the best performances of a road team in any sport. They have played incredible. They have played great. They have putted even better.

They have come into a hostile environment and played great golf. You know, sometimes as a competitor, as an athlete, you have to take a step back and again sort of tip your cap to something like that. They have been a tough team. They have partnered great. And Luke is an incredible captain. He's done a great job this week.

Q. You mentioned hostile environment. What was your perspective on that, the behavior of some of the fans? Do you feel as though it crossed a line?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: I didn't see -- I mean, I thought the fans were passionate. I mean, their home team is getting beat bad. You know, they are passionate fans. I wasn't at Rome, but I heard a lot of stories that Rome was pretty violent as well.

But the fans of New York from what I have seen have been pretty good. You're always going to have a few people that cross the line, and that's unfortunate. I was happy to see our players trying to quiet down some people that were like that.

Part of it our fault. We are not playing up to the standards that they want to see, and they are angry, and they should be.

Q. I know the rain on Thursday probably changed a little bit of how maybe you guys anticipated the course playing, but how closely is it playing to maybe the way you wanted it to or expected it to?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Oh, man, the greens are not where we wanted. They are super soft. The greens are great. They roll great. But you're actually -- you're actually better off out of the rough to a bunch of these flags, a bunch of these pins. You know, sometimes when I would see our guys in the right rough, I would radio back, that's actually going to be great. You need it out of the rough so it doesn't spin off the green.

I've never seen Bethpage greens play this soft ever. Even when we've played here and it's rained, this is something that I've never seen. Chip shots are spinning backwards.

Q. Is that something that's been hard for your guys to adjust to even after a couple of days?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: I think it's been difficult, but the course is in incredible shape. The people here at Bethpage have done such a great job. What an incredible venue Bethpage Black is. It's really such a grand stage and a place that we all really look forward to playing.

I hope we come back here for more Ryder Cups, more majors, more playoff events, whatever it is.

Q. What happened on 15 green with Justin, Tommy, Scottie, Bryson, is that all in the past?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: I think so. I've spoken to everybody involved. I mean, I think it was a little bit disrespectful, but Justin Rose told me after on the green that they had talked it out. I talked to Bryson.

In sports, golf, it's blown into this huge thing. It happens in sports all the time. They seemed fine after the round. You know, it's super passionate out there, especially for -- well, for both sides. But from what I understand, everything was fine after the round. These sort of things happen when you're playing for your country.

Q. When you look at the deficit that you face, do you simply view it as they have played better, or are there strategic things that have played into the deficit that we see?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: I think anytime at a Ryder Cup the captain is to blame or to be celebrated. So we all have to do a better job, but most importantly I have to do a better job as a captain, and you know, who knows, I feel like the guys have played pretty well. The Europeans have just played like way better.

Sometimes that happens, but we've still got another day. Who knows? You never know. We can go out there and win. What do we got to win, ten? Wild stuff happens in sports all the time.

Q. You said the way your players have played is maybe partly to blame for some of the fans crossing the line --

KEEGAN BRADLEY: I did not say that. That's not what I said. I said the fans are probably upset that their home team is losing. I did not say that.

Q. But do you think maybe you bear some responsibility in terms of some of the words that you and your players used beforehand in terms of stoking up the fans to bring a hostile environment?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: What words were those?

Q. To bring chaos and just talking up the atmosphere here, Collin --

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah, Ryder Cups are wild. I don't appreciate those words that you just said. I know what you're trying to do.

The Ryder Cup is full of passionate fans. They're full of passionate players. And that wasn't right.

Q. Going back to the putting. Hopefully it's not an ignorant question but we've heard this a lot, that you guys would like the greens to be faster. What is it about faster greens that you felt your team would be better on, if that makes sense?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: I think historically we play faster greens on the PGA TOUR than they do. Obviously when we go over to their British Open, the greens are considerably slower than what we play on in an average week. I think like British Open, they are around 10, 10 and a half, maybe 11. For us, when we play faster greens, they generally quicken up as the week goes on in the weather's good. That's normally what happens.

The greens have been perfect this week. Perfect. The golf course is stunning.

Q. Real quick as a follow-up, I think that was the point of my question is that most of those guys are playing on the PGA TOUR quite often, too. But is it the case that when they grow up, they're constantly playing slower greens so naturally, even if now they play on the Tour, that they are more used to them?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Could be. I know I have -- I struggle a lot when I go over to the British Open. The greens are slow. Like I'll have 5-footers and leave them short. So it's an adjustment period.

But good golf doesn't matter if the greens are really slow or really fast, if the rough is really high or really low. You all perform, you're going to win. They have played incredible golf so far.

Q. Yesterday when you talked about your plan, we were -- all of us were a bit taken aback by the Collin Morikawa-Harris English thing. My question is, do you think your plan in normal times would have succeeded, or do you think it's one of those things where this week was such that they were just so good and your team was not?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Well, I do know their first match, their opponents were, I think, 6- or 7-under in alternate-shot through whatever, 15 holes.

Today they were 2-under through six or seven and they were like 2-down. So alternate-shot, that's great playing.

You know, we've got a lot of faith in our players. Collin Morikawa has won a couple majors. Harris has had a great year.

I think in the past sometimes we have panicked with the pairings and switched everything up, and it hasn't worked out. We wanted to stick with the plan, and that's what we did.

Q. Any explanation for Scottie? It's just kind of jarring to see him 0-4. I realize he's got a partner and there's nuance. But it maybe doesn't seem like he's playing the same way, two majors and six wins this year.

KEEGAN BRADLEY: I'm going to tell you a story about what someone said about Scottie Scheffler today on our team: Russell Henley.

He said that Scottie had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He's the No. 1 player in the world. And Scottie cared more about how Russell was doing than himself. Scottie has been the best teammate in our team room this week, without question, period. He has been open to any pairing. He has been open to play any session, five, four, two, didn't matter.

He has wanted -- he was one of the first people that said that we're going to go to Napa to play and be prepared. This means everything to him.

This is tough. This is what happens in sports all the time. You know, you see somebody, like I said in here last night, in golf, the moment you want something so bad and you try so hard, you don't play as well. And when you're kind of free-wheeling it, and I know how it is when you get off to a bad start in a Ryder Cup. You really desperately want to help the team, and I've been out there with Scottie, he's played great. He flew one in the hole today and it popped out and came off the green. We've had some wacky stuff go on.

I can't express, I really want to be clear on just what an incredible teammate Scottie Scheffler has been and what an incredible person he is. For me, watching the team today was one of the proudest moments of my life because when I looked out at the caddies, at the players, I couldn't tell what the score was. They were fighting so hard on every point.

It would have been easy for guys to get pissed and feel bad for themselves and kind of mope around. Not a single person did that, and Scottie is at the top of that list.

Q. You mentioned a few minutes ago that there are things that you could do better as a captain. What would those be?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Well, I think just anytime -- I wouldn't classify myself as a coach, but you're the leader of the team. When they don't perform, you have to take responsibility and look at how we did it.

I'm not saying we're not going to go out tomorrow and win this. I think we can go out and we're going to give it everything we have. But ultimately, the accolades and the downfall is going to fall on the captain. That's how it always is. When you accept the role, you are aware that that's a very real possibility. The highlights of it are at the highest level of our sport, and the lows are some of the lowest.

You know that when you take the job, and you know, for me, if your team doesn't perform, you have to look at the leader first. You have to look at the coach.

We're going to go out tomorrow, and we're going to play with -- just the way they played today. They are going to go out there and they are going to play as hard as they can. They are going to go out there and try to win every point. They are going to support their teammates, and that's what makes this group so great is that they are there for each other.

Q. After the morning session didn't go as planned, did you make adjustments to the afternoon?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah, we did.

Q. Did you always envision not having Ben in the lineup?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: No, we didn't. We were trying to send out -- it was tough. The hardest part about this captaincy is having to sit the guys because everybody is so good. You look at the pairings, and you have to look at the data and you have to look at, all right, we have to send out a powerful group, send a message. And that's what we did.

It's easy to sit back now and kind of second guess everything. But I know Ben Griffin is going to go out tomorrow -- I hope he's pissed off. He should be. I would be pissed. I sat a whole day Saturday in Gleneagles. It was one of the lowest moments of my career. Along with Phil, we sat.

And I hope he comes out tomorrow ready to prove me wrong and ready to go out and win his point.

Q. Along those lines, there's a chance you might have to sit someone -- take a name from the envelope because Viktor is hurt. Have you talked to that player already?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: No. I -- we need to go out there and play this tournament the way it was supposed to be played. I have to go figure this out now. I'm still learning what's going on.

I don't know how that's going to end up. We'll see in a few minutes.