NEW YORK — The Google Meet call lasted an hour and a half but was over within five minutes.
Now that Tiger Woods is officially out — after months or even years as the front-runner — who will captain the 2025 Bethpage Black U.S. Ryder Cup team?
A five-point loss to Marco Simeone in Rome tarnished the memory of Team USA. Europe captain Luke Donald has been reappointed as captain just eight weeks after the foot-stomping incident. Suddenly, Woods finally decided that on top of the PGA Tour and PIF negotiations, captaincy was too much to handle, and Team USA was tasked with developing a backup plan. The clock is ticking. There are still 13 months until the 45th Ryder Cup.
Outgoing PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, PGA of America President John Lindert, Vice President Don Rea and Team USA manager John Wood held a video call during last month’s Travelers Championship to decide on the next Captain America.
The remaining candidates all come from the Ryder Cup “task force” pipeline, a system implemented by Team USA in 2014 that transitions PGA Tour players from assistant captain roles to captains. The roster includes Ryder Cup stalwarts such as Fred Couples, Stewart Cink and two-time captain Davis Love III, who compete in the biennial event. The event offers an unparalleled experience. But none resonated in the way that Americans needed. After the crushing loss in Rome, Team USA had to think outside the box. Zach Johnson, widely criticized for his poor leadership under Marco Simone, is not a candidate.
Woods’ decision to turn down the captaincy in 2025 opens the door to a “generational change,” according to sources directly involved in the decision. It’s time for Americans to “rip off the Band-Aid” and take risks.
Days before announcing his resignation from the PGA, Waugh was the first to mention Keegan Bradley’s name on a Ryder Cup committee call, according to sources people. Based on the list compiled by Waugh, the team sifted through the possibilities. Some are expected and some seem unexpected. A name has surfaced that has never played in a Ryder Cup.
But there was only one man who prompted a 10-second timeout from all six players in the meeting: Bradley.
“When we landed in Keegan, everyone’s ears perked up and we were like, yes, that’s the guy,” said Wood, a six-time Ryder Cup caddy. “It was a pretty extensive list. Of course we didn’t want to leave anyone out. When we got to Keegan it was a unanimous, quick decision.
Bradley was passionate about the Ryder Cup, won the PGA Championship, played college golf at St. John’s University, and practiced weekly with teammates at Bethpage Black. Spieth was quick to express his excitement. “Some of the options don’t sound very interesting,” the three-time Grand Slam champion said, according to the same source. “It sounds like fun to play for Keegan.” Minutes later, the committee made its final decision.
Bradley, 38, was left out of the 2023 team and has not played in the tournament since 2014, where he will become the next Ryder Cup captain.
He didn’t even know he was running.
The U.S. Ryder Cup organization needs to change.
Initially, the Ryder Cup “task force” was formed to facilitate a change in the structure of the U.S. team, whose captains were appointed on a permanent basis based on career achievement. It developed a plan to introduce familiar faces into the U.S. Team room and create continuity between events, including at the Presidents Cup. But every time a captain relies on those who have sat in the big chair before him rather than the new voice of the vice-captain, it creates the same problem that Woods and Phil Mixon faced a decade ago — leaders versus champions More familiar with the tour than the modern PGA Tour.
As Waugh told the group, the task force, according to sources, “was set up for change but has now become an agent of no change.”
Johnson’s leadership during the 2023 Ryder Cup embodies the heart of the matter. He selected Love, Caples, Cink, Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker as his vice-captains, among players (average age 30.33) and leadership (average age 55.6) This created a huge generation gap. Johnson then used his captain’s pick to select Spieth, Thomas and Rickie Fowler, all players he regularly interacted with on the PGA Tour. Thomas is having the worst season of his career, and Spieth’s wife gave birth to their second child two weeks ago. Johnson still relies on familiar pairings like Thomas and Spieth, against the wishes of some team members but with input from others. The plan backfired, with Johnson accused of favoritism and maintaining a “boys club.” At least one former U.S. Ryder Cup player said he hopes Bradley can provide a reset.
The disastrous loss in Rome tarnished Zach Johnson’s reputation and sparked a discussion within Team USA about change. (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
There were no crisis meetings after the defeat in Rome, but there was a concerted effort to escape the “echo chamber of sameness”. The Ryder Cup committee’s view is that Team USA needs to modernize, and Bradley’s captaincy would be a first step in the right direction.
Woods’ decision to withdraw from the race made the move possible. Since turning down the chance to captain the 2023 national team in Rome, Woods has been slated to lead the U.S. team at Bethpage Black Stadium. Woods spent months in communication with the PGA of America, pushing back the deadline for a decision while pondering the possibility of taking on the role. It’s no secret that when Woods takes on a task, he gives it 100 percent. While he served as player director on the PGA Tour’s policy committee to help reunite the currently divided professional game, he was unable to make such a commitment to the Ryder Cup. Shortly after the U.S. Open, Woods officially declined the captaincy.
“This does not mean that I do not want to be a team captain in the future. If I feel the time is right, I will make a decision to the committee,” Woods said in the statement.
There were already signs of change ahead of the 15-time Grand Slam champion’s decision.
A new role, Team USA “manager,” was created and filled by Wood, a ballboy-turned-NBC Sports analyst. Task force members were left out of discussions surrounding the Plan B captaincy. “I’m officially out now,” Love III said before Bradley’s official announcement. “I haven’t heard from anybody, not even Zach.” Phil Mickelson retired from the Ryder Cup after taking on a leadership role in LIV Golf’s rise.
There were a variety of factors that led the team to select Bradley. But Woods’ departure changed things dramatically.
As the countdown to the Golf Channel broadcast began, Bradley sat next to the president of the PGA of America and the glittering Ryder Cup trophy at the Nasdaq Tower in Times Square. He opens his eyes, composes himself, and answers questions about a job opportunity he’s never interviewed for.
“I don’t think I’ll be more surprised by anything in my life,” Bradley said Tuesday. “I don’t know. It took me a while to figure it out. So it was a heavy thought and moment.
Bradley first learned of the Ryder Cup committee’s decision in a phone call on June 23, the Sunday night after the final round of the Travelers Championship in Hartford, Conn. The Vermont native was contacted with the news.
The group first mentioned Bradley in the Ryder Cup captain’s conversation a few days ago. They waited until the end of the game to reveal their decision.
A year ago, Bradley was left off the U.S. Ryder Cup team. A year later, he will lead the commission and will become the youngest person to do so since Arnold Palmer in 1963. At first, he didn’t think he was worthy – and he still can’t quite explain why he was chosen.
“I don’t know, I’m still figuring it out,” Bradley said. “But I knew I could do the job.”
The U.S. Ryder Cup team will rely on Bradley’s passion for the event as part of its leadership strategy. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Before retiring, Bradley spoke extensively with Woods about his responsibilities – he even called the 82-time Tour champion the morning of the press conference. Over the course of three days, he spoke frequently with Waugh. Bradley was unwavering in accepting the captaincy, but he needed some extra support. He reminded himself that he wasn’t just elected by board members in suits. He was drafted by two of his peers: Thomas and Spieth.
“As a player myself, the player’s opinion is the most important,” Bradley said. “That’s the most important thing to me.”
Bradley’s close collaboration with his team members will mark an update in the U.S. Ryder Cup leadership strategy. On Tuesday, the six-time PGA Tour champion expressed a desire to appoint a younger vice-captain. He honestly said he would still try to qualify for the team through the Ryder Cup standings (the top six players in the standings currently make up the team), though as captain he said he might want to add more automatic qualifiers ). He denounced any bias against LIV players in future selections.
“I’m going to have the 12 best players on the team,” Bradley said. “I don’t care where they play… I’m not worried about LIV.”
youth. analyze. Personal connection with Bethpage Black. Bradley may have been a shocking choice for Ryder Cup captaincy, but he’s not a no-brainer.
He has become the latest incarnation of change, and the United States is betting its reputation and pursuit of the Ryder Cup trophy on his success.
(Top photo: Seth Wenig/AP)
