Keegan Bradley: “Bryson goes FIRST—and he has the green light at 1” Ryder Cup Bethpage

U.S. Captain Keegan Bradley lays out Team USA’s Ryder Cup blueprint for Bethpage Black. From sending Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas out FIRST—with the green light to drive the 1st—to why Collin Morikawa and Harris English complement each other, Bradley explains the analytics, the attitude and the all-in “WE” mindset behind the pairings.

Highlights:
• Why Bryson & JT lead off (“fiery group,” thrive under pressure)
• Green light at the 1st tee: Bryson bombing No. 1 if conditions allow
• Morikawa–English pairing: elite ball-striking + clutch putting + calm demeanor
• “We’ve had this lineup for a long time”: data-driven pairings
• Bradley on emotions, leadership, and the ‘Justin Rose’ slip
• What’s fixed vs. flexible for the afternoon session

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We’re joined now by United States Rder Cup captain Keegan Bradley. Let’s jump right into questions here up here with Paul. Keegan, seemed like most groups had at least one big hitter in it maybe to attack some of the holes that driving is a premium on maybe except for Colin and Harris. I’m just wondering what you see in that particular pairing that you liked. Well, Col Harris hits it pretty far, but um yeah, we we we looked at the data. We looked at our guys, the golf balls, and um we’ve had this lineup set for a long time. Um on this course analytically, uh you can flip-flop a lot of the holes, even odds. Um there’s an even amount of par fives and long par4s and short par fours and par threes. So, you know, and ultimately the group that plays the best is going to win the match. So, uh, we’re real happy with, uh, our groups and just I we hadn’t seen that group together. Uh, just particularly about those two players. What do you like about their games and how they complement each other? Well, I mean, Colin, uh, Colin Marqua is one of the best ball strikers in the world. Uh, so is Harris. Harris is an incredible putter. Um, we really felt like they complimented each other. They got very similar demeanors. They really like each other. Uh, and they’re extreme competitors. um they relish at the opportunity to play together. Over here on one with Tara. Hi Keegan, if you wouldn’t mind just kind of trying to describe your emotions right now and kind of what you anticipate as it heads in. And then um I couldn’t help but ask if anybody gave you grief over the Justin Rose, Justin Leonard moment from your speech yesterday. Uh well, I just told the vice captains right now I wish I was playing. I feel like I’m ready to go now, like go to the first te. Um, no, I I uh mistake on the Justin Rose. Somebody yelled out Justin Rose right before I read it and I said it. I didn’t even know it till I was done, but um honest mistake. But yeah, we’re this we’re really happy we’ve gotten to this point. Feels like we’ve been waiting a year and a half to for that moment just then. And um now that we see the the matchups on paper and we know we’re going to go out tomorrow and play, uh it’s just an incredible feeling. You use we all the time. Like is there a part of you that’s still thinking I at all or in your mind is it just all we from this point on? Oh no, it’s all we. We we have a uh you know we have a whole team of of vice captains, uh the our players, our our coaches, our caddies, our wives, our you know we we have a whole team be behind us. It’s not just the 12 players and the captains. And um you know I I’ve never felt uh closer to a group of people in my entire life. So, we’ve come a long way and you know since I started this pro uh process and um it’s been a really almost magical week for us all. Two German Bryson going off in that first group. He’s been pretty adamant all week that he’s being willing to try to drive the first green if conditions allow it. Is that something that you’ve kind of given him the green light for if he feels good tomorrow morning if if he’s hitting the first T- shot? Yes, sir. Let him let him uh get up there. We want him to, you know, do what he does. and he got up there today and and hammered one right right in the front of the green. Uh Bryson is thrives under this sort of atmosphere. You know, for me, when I would go out in these first TE’s, I would be very nervous and didn’t know what to expect. I I see Bryson and I can see him walking out there just relishing the the moment, relishing the chance to get up there and hit that shot. And uh Bryson has been, you know, a leader in our room. He’s been an an incredible teammate. And what a better two guys to lead our team out tomorrow than Justin and Bryson. Adam, go ahead. Egan, is there a scenario where the four who sat in the morning might also sit all day? Uh, you know, we’re we’re going to get through tomorrow. Um, I know that’s not the answer you’re looking for, but we’re going to get through tomorrow morning and the pairings aren’t due till 11:40 and we’ll sort that out then. Okay. Also, um you you’ve known your lineup for a while, but you is there anything seeing you’ve probably been speculating on what Luke might do? Anything that that caught you by surprise? Um I mean, not really. We’re, like I said, even if they gave us the pairings, like we got to go out and win the matches. You know, the the it’s really hard to tell what they’re going to do. We figured we figured a few of the spots are right where we thought they were. Um, but you know, we we’re we’re more focused on what our lineup is and then you know, uh, we’re going to have to go out there and beat their guys over here on three. G, you know, I just wondered if you could expand on your thinking behind sending Bryson out first. Well, besides the fact that he’s a world-class player and one of our best players on the team, you know, we wanted to send out a fiery group to to lead us out with these fans that have been waiting two years, more than that, 15 years to to see this tournament play. And like I said, Bryson just relishes in these opportunities. He He wants them. He He’s one of these guys where, you know, you you hear in a basketball team who who wants the ball for the last shot. He’s one of those guys. So is Justin. Let’s not forget that Justin’s, you know, the heartbeat of our team. And um you know, they’re going to go out and be a really tough team to beat. All the way up top there to 16. Uh Keegan, sorry. Behind the camera. Um, you mentioned a plan on the on the TV interview just now. You you mentioned that this you’re going to follow the plan. How much of the plan is sort of set in stone, so to speak? How much has changed on the fly? Did you have a sense of these pairings even coming in before you got to Beth Paige versus what you saw this week? Yeah, we we’ve been working on these pairings for for a long time. Uh, we had a really good idea what we were going to do today uh or tomorrow and you know, it’s just a matter of executing that plan. and you got to wait and see how healthy everybody is, how, you know, if they get sick or whatever, whatever it is. And, um, we’ve had none of that so far and we we’ve been working on these pairings for a long time. And, uh, you know, we’re we’re really excited to get them out there tomorrow. And then to follow up, going forward after the morning session, do you have a sense of what you want to do or does that dictate based on what happens? We have a pretty good idea of what we want to do. Back up to Paul. Just wondering telling Bryson and JT that they were going off first, kind of their reactions to I mean that’s an honor to get that moment and just what they how they reacted to that. They were really excited. They they’ve known for a long time. So, um they’re I’m really just really proud of Bryson and Justin. Uh Justin, they both have been, you know, put me with anybody. I just want to win. And you know, they they were the when we came to them about playing together, they were just so thrilled. And uh you know, it’s a it’s a fiery group. It’s a group that can go out and lead our team. And excited to see him do that. Thanks for your time, Keegan. We appreciate it.