Keegan Bradley Begins Ryder Cup Process by Talking to “The Guys”

“I have a real tough time leaving golf at the golf course,” Keegan Bradley admitted. “I'm thinking about something in my swing or a tough shot I've got coming up the next couple days or FedExCup, World Ranking points.”

Those thoughts don’t help him play well and so having a “second job” has, in a way, been beneficial.   

“I've been able to really leave that because once because once I leave the course and when I'm home, I'm really thinking a lot about the Ryder Cup,” he said.

It has become a welcome distraction. In addition, his appointment was well received by PGA Tour players and caddies. He’s gotten a lot of feedback already and will be seeking more as the months unfold.

“Just seeing their faces and getting to see their reaction and have them tell me what they think about the upcoming Ryder Cup and some of my plans (has been beneficial),” he noted. “It's been a real therapeutic thing for me to see the guys. That's been the best part.”

He was looking for their input and trying to carve out his plans for leading the team at Bethpage Black, one of the toughest courses anyone faces in competition. He enjoyed the two to three weeks he had flying under the radar with the knowledge that he was going to be the next leader of the team. 

Now Keegan Bradley is privy to the behind-the-scenes activities that he will be in charge of.

Like setting up the team room. While that sounds easy, really, he has to please 12 highly competitive individuals AND their wives! That’s not easy for anyone.

“The administrative part of setting up a team room, the team rooms at the golf course at Bethpage, stuff like that isn't something as a player you're ever aware of that's going on, and when you're the home captain you have a lot more choices than the away captain has,” Bradley said.

While not being specific on details, he explained that the home team captain has “first choice on a lot of things.”

As far as Tiger Woods’ involvement, Bradley has already told Woods that he wants him as involved as he wants to be.

“With the British Open going on, we're not really chatting too much about that,” he added.

But the important thing is that they have talked.

Bradley also spoke to Zach Johnson this week and Johnson expressed enthusiasm for Bradley’s choice of Webb Simpson for a vice-captain.

“I heard from a lot of captains, texts and congratulatory stuff,” he said. “I plan on probably when the season's over really starting to reach out to the old captains and sort of picking their brains on what they thought they did right, what they thought they did wrong.”

Keegan Bradley thinks he will be able to learn a lot that way.  And with 14 months to go, he feels that there’s enough time to get a good plan together.

“This is my 14th year on Tour,” he said. “Going to make the Playoffs every year means a lot to me. Making the second, BMW, is a big deal for all of us, so I want to do that and then obviously try to make the Tour Championship."

Right now, he’s 42nd on the FedEx Cup list, and he needs to get to 30th if he wants to make the Tour Championship. He has some work to do.