The United States lost the Ryder Cup against Europe by a final score of 15-13.
Keegan Bradley accepted responsibility for the loss, citing some lineup and course setup decisions.
Stating the team needed to make more putts, Justin Thomas defended Bradley.
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — As an accountable leader, Keegan Bradley wants the blame squarely on his shoulders.
Justin Thomas didn’t let him.
‘We needed to make more putts,’ Thomas interjected when Bradley was asked Sunday following the United States’ 15-13 Ryder Cup loss to Europe. ‘That’s what Keegan needed. He needed us to make more putts. That’s what he needed to do.’
Obviously, there is more to the Americans’ defeat, the perception of which shifted from embarrassment to valiant comeback effort as they posted 8.5 points during Sunday’s singles matches.
That ranges from the lineup decisions to the course setup to the fact that Bradley, a veteran player but nowhere near traditional captaincy age, was tabbed by the PGA of America to lead the 2025 squad at Bethpage Black.
Perhaps it was his being left off the 2023 team in Rome that prompted the PGA to pick him, but Bradley is still playing every weekend on the PGA Tour. To add captain’s responsibilities to his plate was unfair, even if Bradley claims this experience changed him for the better and that he wouldn’t trade the opportunity for the world.
‘I think the goal was to give the captaincy a fresh face, a different way to go about things,’ Bradley said. ‘Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. But we have some momentum going forward. I think we can continue down this road, and I’ll help out the best I can to help the next captain.’
What else is he supposed to say?
Bradley became a sympathetic figure in Ryder Cup lore when 2023 captain Zach Johnson – wrongly, many in the golf world said – left him off that team, and the entire thing was captured on the Netflix documentary ‘Full Swing.’
That set the wheels in motion for Bradley to be the likable figure installed as the leader of the 2025 team. Except, Bradley never stopped playing well and would likely have been selected for the squad had anybody else been in charge. The questions over whether he’d pick himself couldn’t have made the preparation for Bethpage any easier. Everybody associated with Ryder Cup USA and the PGA put him in position to succeed, he said, but he ‘had to learn on the fly.’
Bradley definitely missed with some pairings – looking at Harris English and Collin Morikawa going out on back-to-back mornings for a doomed alternate-shot showing. That Bethpage’s infamous rough and difficult playing conditions were neutered to create better scoring outcomes was a misguided choice by the captain, too. But, as he said, the main culprit for the Americans’ defeat was simply that ‘the Europeans played just incredible golf. Doesn’t matter how you set the course up when you play that well.’
Bradley said his decision to manicure the course in such a way came after digesting information and data about what would best benefit his players. Multiple times this week, he lamented how soft the greens were. As someone who’s played the Black course at Bethpage State Park dozens of times, that perplexed him, and it was at no fault of the groundscrews or weather.
‘We thought this was the best way to set the golf course up to win,’ he said.
Bradley added: ‘I wish I could have some of those decisions back. I definitely feel I made a few mistakes there, but it’s tough to tell that it’s going to rain before the Ryder Cup. … I’ve got to take responsibility for this outcome for sure.’
