ORLANDO, Fla. — This problem, the problem Keegan Bradley is at least partially responsible for, won’t escape him. At every moment it is there, just around the corner, ready to announce itself.
Bradley played the best round at Bay Hill on Thursday, firing a 3-under 69 to walk off the course as the Arnold Palmer Invitational leader. It was chilly for the morning wave of tee times. The wind was swirling so much that waves from the man-made lakes lapped up to the rough. The best player in the world, Scottie Scheffler, shot 1 under and was grateful; Max Homa and Cameron Young failed to break 80. Bradley? He shot a 69, with four birdies, and called it one of the better rounds he has played all year.
“Just some days you get out on the course and they’re just coming out right where you’re looking. Today was one of those days,” Bradley said.
But there it was: the problem. Lurking. Handed a microphone, a member of the European press brought up Netflix and the last scene in the final episode of the new season of “Full Swing,” in which a jubilant Bradley stands up in front of the Presidents Cup team and says, “We’re going to go to Bethpage to kick their (expletive) ass.”
Bradley was no longer a player who’d had a nice round, who’d put himself in position to win the fourth signature event of the season potentially. He was the Ryder Cup captain and had to answer for what had been deemed controversial.*
*It’s not controversial. It’s just not. To take umbrage with it, you either have to be completely unaware of how every other sport in the world views competition or intentionally trying to make something out of nothing. Or both. But this is a Ryder Cup year, and people tend to lose their senses in Ryder Cup years. C’est la vie.
Bradley, for his part, sidestepped the whole thing, saying he viewed himself as being in the locker room in that moment and was not thinking Netflix might be watching. Fair enough. It shouldn’t require an explanation anyway, so a half-baked one will suffice.
Keegan Bradley was a “little surprised” when he saw the viral Full Swing clip, in which he says, “We’re gonna go to Bethpage to kick their f—–g ass.”
He didn’t know it was going to be in the show.
“That’s what happens in a locker room. I meant no disrespect to the… pic.twitter.com/JPuoSC4pU9
— Paul Hodowanic (@PaulHodowanic) March 6, 2025
The problem, the one that has followed Bradley since he was named captain in a shocking move last summer, is that the United States’ Ryder Cup captain is capable of playing two strokes better than Scheffler. Which only invites another round of questioning about just what Bradley and the U.S. team will do if he’s one of the best Americans.
Bradley has insisted the entire time that he’ll either make the team on points — which means he’s in the top six in mid-August — or be the captain. Given that he’s currently 29th in points, this could all seem hypothetical, at best. But the way the points system works, things really kick into action starting this week. Win at Bay Hill and you’re not guaranteed to play for the United States in September, but you’re a whole heck of a lot closer. Stack that with a couple of good majors and you’re there. Look at the PGA Tour leaderboards so far this year — they aren’t exactly filled with notable American names.
So the Americans’ Ryder Cup captain remains in both worlds, trying to win golf tournaments, but homework awaits after his round.
“When I’m outside the ropes, I’m working on the Ryder Cup every second,” Bradley said. “I have some stuff I have to do this afternoon in my room, and some things are going on today that I’m working on. But one of the nice things about this is when I get inside the ropes and I have a card in my pocket, I’m a player. And then now when I leave and I’m done practicing or whatever, my duty as a captain starts. I look forward to that.”
Keegan Bradley made the winning putt for the Americans during last year’s Presidents Cup. (Harry How / Getty Images)
Bradley said multiple times that if it looks like he’ll be making the team, he’ll turn things over to his vice-captains Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner, Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker. Given that Furyk was the 2018 captain and the other three are new to being Ryder Cup vice-captains, one would presume his voice would carry the most weight.
This is all a little messy, a perfect contrast to the buttoned-up European structure. Which will invite criticism because anytime something is new and a group of decision-makers dare to be different, there will be second-guessing.
But that doesn’t mean the skeptics have to be right. What that “Full Swing” moment captured was Bradley’s enthusiasm for the job, for the concept of playing team golf with “USA” on your hat. It’s why he was chosen to be the captain despite never being a vice-captain, breaking with the norm. It’s why he has kept his game up into his late 30s. The spark is still there. It burns bright.
He just has to keep managing the problem.
(Top photo: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)
