As somebody who played his college golf at St. John’s University in Queens, the United States’ Ryder Cup captain is familiar with the area around Bethpage Black Golf Course – considered one of the most difficult tracks in all of golf – in Old Bethpage, New York. The 45th Ryder Cup is scheduled for Sept. 23-28.
‘I think going to St. John’s and being on Long Island, being in Queens, has really taught me how important Bethpage is to the locals here in New York City and on Long Island,’ Bradley told USA TODAY Sports on Monday. ‘They’re passionate about their golf course. They’re passionate about America.
‘They’re going to be loud and proud and I look forward to that.’
From the locals who learn to play on the grounds at the other courses and the energy and mystique of it all, it’s a responsibility Bradley doesn’t take lightly.
‘Our team needs to represent the qualities that Bethpage has,’ he said.
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Regardless of where the international tournament is held, it’s a high-pressure environment, Bradley said. The intensity is similar to what players experience in majors.
‘But this is another step up,’ Bradley said.
Bradley spoke to USA TODAY Sports through Ralph Lauren, which unveiled the Americans’ uniforms on Monday.
‘There’s nothing more American than Ralph Lauren and the red, white and blue,’ said Bradley, who particularly likes the pieces of apparel emblazoned with the American flag. “I love when the Ryder Cup team is in red, white and blue head-to-toe.’
For Bradley, who was named the Ryder Cup captain last July, the event always felt off in the distance. In the blink of an eye, he said, the deadline of Aug. 27 to pick his 12-member squad is here. Six spots are given to automatic qualifiers, with Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau officially joining the squad Sunday.
But six more picks must be made.
‘It feels like it’s coming up on us fast, which is really fun as well,’ he said.
Complicating matters is that Bradley – who at 39 years old is the youngest U.S. captain since Arnold Palmer held the role in 1963 – has to consider himself for one of the final six spots. His game has been trending well all season and he is ranked 12th in the Official World Golf Rankings (eighth among Americans).
Bradley’s approach has been that while he’s inside the ropes, he’s a player first. After tournaments, he reenters captain mode. That compartmentalization has been beneficial to him this year.
‘I’m just going to tackle what comes at me,’ Bradley said of his mindset. ‘It’s going to be chaos. It’s going to be tough. … It’s been tougher the last month or so.’
The 2025 season will go down as one of the years Bradley is most proud of. At times, he felt like he was playing the best golf of his life.
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‘With all this chaos going on, it’s something that I’ll always look back on and be very proud of,’ he said.
The U.S. Ryder Cup team is one of the hardest teams in the world to make. There is a specific group of players that Bradley is evaluating, he said, and is following the plan.
‘We have a pretty good idea of where we’re going … and we’ll see in a week,’ he said.
Bradley will have to make some different phone calls – conversations with which he’s intimately familiar. His conversation in 2023 with former captain Zach Johnson was well-documented by the Netflix documentary ‘Full Swing.’
‘It’s going to be one of the most horrible things I’ve had to do in my life, and I know that,’ Bradley said. ‘Because I know how it feels when you get that call and the number pops up and you have no clue what’s on the other end. When it’s bad (news), it feels horrible. It breaks my heart to have to do it.’
But once that happens, it’s full speed ahead to Bethpage Black.
‘I’m especially proud to be the Ryder Cup captain at Bethpage,’ Bradley said. ‘I just think that place is absolutely stunning and amazing. I just think that everything it’s about is stunning and amazing.’