Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup captaincy seemed to break something inside the American.
Team USA were dismantled by Europe over the first two days, and nearly every major decision that Bradley made was the wrong one. The course setup at Bethpage Black was too easy, and he selected statistically the worst possible pairing in Scottie Scheffler and Harris English.
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We are now months removed from the Ryder Cup, but Bradley admitted to still feeling heartbroken from the battering at Bethpage. He was exhausted from everything associated with the event, and admitted that taking the role while still in his playing prime might have been too much to ask.
But despite Europe having already announced its captain for Adare Manor in 2027, Luke Donald, Team USA’s role is still vacant. Tiger Woods was a favourite for the job, but his recent car crash has ruled him out of contention.
Fred Couples, who just concluded his 2026 Masters campaign, was asked if he would like the job, but he explained why he’d like to see Bradley give it a go again.
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Fred Couples thinks Keegan Bradley being Ryder Cup captain again would be ‘interesting’
When Couples was asked whether he would like to be captain, he said no and tried to put forward some other names. Among them was Bradley, who he thinks would be an interesting choice.
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The 66-year-old said, “That’s a good question. My days are long gone on that. I would be a good assistant and help, but again, that’s a hard job for Luke Donald or Bernard Gallacher or Ray Floyd or Keegan Bradley.
“It’s a really hard job. Not that I wouldn’t want it, but I’m a little old to be worried about what kind of stuff they got to do, but they’ll pick a good one. I don’t know who. Maybe Keegan again. It would kind of be interesting, but I don’t know.”
Couples also suggested that Justin Leonard would be a good option.
He continued, “I would love to see Justin Leonard, you bet. Yeah. Any of those guys, they’re all incredible. I’m a little more loosey goosey. Sometimes I think that really helps, and I don’t like a lot of the other things you have to do.
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“I think you need to worry about the players only and not other things, and I think that would help us.”
What Keegan Bradley said about being Ryder Cup captain again
Bradley was asked last month if he is ruling out being captain again in the future. While he said he’s still hurt from the events of Bethpage Black, Bradley admitted that he’d like to try again.
The 2011 PGA Championship winner said, “I mean, yeah, sure, I would. But I don’t know if that’s on the cards.
“I think any Ryder Cup captain that loses would like to do it again. But that’s not up to me.
I think that the distraction of me playing, maybe playing isn’t really what the position is about. So who knows in the future.”
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Bradley was playing so well that there was real consideration about him being playing captain. That might have been a distraction that led to Team USA’s eventual downfall. So it’s therefore unlikely that he goes for the job again for Adare Manor.
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