Keegan Bradley will captain the United States Ryder Cup team in 2025 at Bethpage Black, the PGA of America announced Monday, in a move that goes against precedent and comes after 15-time major champion Tiger Woods passed on the opportunity.
The PGA of America will hold a news conference with Bradley on Tuesday in New York.
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Sports Illustrated first reported the news.
A two-time Ryder Cup team member, the 38-year-old Bradley will be the youngest U.S. Ryder Cup captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963. Palmer was a 34-year-old playing captain then, well before the modern era of the Ryder Cup. Previous decisions for U.S. squad leadership required captains to serve as assistants prior to being appointed to the top role, forming a de facto “task force” of PGA Tour veterans waiting to get the nod.
Woods was the heavy favorite to be the next U.S. captain. He fit the mold — the 82-time PGA Tour winner served as a playing captain in the 2019 Presidents Cup and an assistant for the U.S.’s wins at the 2016 Ryder Cup and the 2017 Presidents Cup. But, according to a person directly involved in the matter, Woods felt he couldn’t give the job his full attention while serving in his role with the PGA Tour, which continues to negotiate with the Saudi Public Investment Fund. Woods did not turn down the captaincy forever, but he decided it would be better not to accept the role for 2025.
Bradley was infamously snubbed from the 2023 Ryder Cup squad by the previous U.S. captain, Zach Johnson. He missed out on a captain’s pick for Marco Simone despite winning two PGA Tour events that year and being ranked higher than Justin Thomas, who was picked for the team, in the Ryder Cup standings. Netflix’s “Full Swing” captured Bradley’s phone conversation with Johnson, in which he was told he was left off the team. The U.S. lost to the Europeans by five points, extending the team’s 30-year-long winless drought in overseas Ryder Cups.
Ranked 35th in the world per Datagolf.com, Bradley still has plenty of competitive golf left in him. Individuals briefed on the matter believe Bradley’s captaincy marks a shift in the U.S. team’s leadership strategy and an acknowledgment of the growing youth movement on the PGA Tour.
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Bradley is a six-time PGA Tour winner, lauded for his passion surrounding the biennial event. He played in the Ryder Cup both in 2012 at Medinah and in 2014 at Gleneagles. Bradley played collegiate golf at St. John’s University, which hosts an annual tournament at Bethpage Black.
“My passion and appreciation for golf’s greatest team event have never been stronger,” Bradley said in a statement. “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. I look forward to beginning preparations for 2025.”
(Photo: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
