LIVE | Press Conference | U.S. Team Captain Keegan Bradley | Sep 23 | 2025 Ryder Cup

Watch U.S. Team Captain Keegan Bradley hold a press conference ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.

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Every two years, 24 of the best players from Europe and the United States go head-to-head in match play competition. The European Team are the reigning champions after winning at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in 2023. Drama, tension, incredible golf, camaraderie and sportsmanship are served in equal measure, captivating an audience of millions around the world. It’s an event that transcends sport, yet remains true to the spirit of its founder, Samuel Ryder. The 2025 Ryder Cup is set to take place at Bethpage Black in New York.

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on 14. Keegan, uh seems like the last few RDER Cups, the tendency has been to not have um all of the American players or any of the American players play all the sessions. In fact, you know, going back to the one with you and Phil, that became kind of an issue uh you know, second guessed anyway afterward. Um what’s your philosophy on that? I mean, obviously you’d think that maybe Scotty might be in line to play all five. Well, I think I think you got to take a temperature of how the week is going. Um, we certainly have guys that can go five in our team that we’re that we’re comfortable with. That doesn’t mean they will. Uh, I think we want to see how the flow is going. See how the energy is. You know, these these players are super super unselfish guys. So, they’re going to be perfectly honest with us captains and in the team. They only care about us winning the RDER Cup. So, you know, we’re going to we we have conversations with players about how they’re feeling and go from there. over here for a couple. Mark and then Mike one. Hey Keegan. Um I just have two unrelated. One of which is in terms of captaining. How much of a difference do you think you can make even though you’re not hitting a shot this week. Um you’ve you’ve been on Router Cups with other captains before. Uh I know you molded your own style here, but can you make a difference even though you’re not hitting a shot? I think the captain can make a difference. I it does come down to the players, but you know, I think my job is to make sure that these days before the tournaments are done right and the players are comfortable, they’re having a good time, then they’re relaxed. All I can do is do my very best to put them in the best position to play well. And when you come to a Ryder Cup or a team event, your sort of regular schedule is off. So, it’s my job to return them as as close as they can to what they would normally do. Um, and then also making sure that they have a fun time, making sure that they enjoy the experience and making sure that they cherish this week forever. And with regard to Bryson, you’ve been very vocal about the efforts he’s made to come, you know, break break his schedule and meet you guys. I’m curious how much of a an X factor and and how how explosive he could be potentially for you guys this week. Yeah, I think Bryson Bryson’s this is a tough thing for him to come uh into our into you know guys that he doesn’t see every day, you know, into uh guys full of uh PJ tour players, but he’s done an exceptional job of making the extra effort flying to Napa, flying to Atlanta, um doing things that are really difficult with the schedule that he has and he’s made every effort possible and been incredible in the team room. Um, I think Bryson just his ability, his golfing ability alone is a X factor for our team, but also he’s a really fiery player and, you know, when you come to a Ryder Cup, you don’t want guys to try to be something they’re not. We have a lot of calm, mellow guys. So, you know, we need the energy from Bryson and um, he brings that every day in practice rounds, in the team room, and hopefully in the tournament competition, too. Thanks, man, Keegan. over here. Um, a lot of chat online and on the ground about President Trump showing up tomorrow. Is that something you’re factoring into your preparations? Are you concerned that it might distract from your job, which is to to win the RDER Cup? And are you worried about the extra mayhem that it might bring and the extra focus that it brings on you and your team and anyone else around here? No, definitely not. I’m uh deeply honored that the president of the United States is going to come uh support our team at the RDER Cup. Uh, I think anytime you can be around a a a current president is a pretty phenomenal thing, but when you’re representing your country at a place like Beth Page Black in New York, um, having the president there to support you is, you know, something that is just absolutely incredible and I’m really grateful for him for doing that for us. Right here on four. Hi, Gian. Uh, Justin Thomas was just in here saying that he’s basically known you for all of his career and you’re quite close to him. Um, I was wondering how much easier does it make your life as a captain that you know so many of these players just by heart just socially as a sort of mutual not really friendship but closeness. It’s really I think for me in my captaincy it’s one of the most important things. I know these guys on a personal level that I’ve played on teams with these guys. I’ve see them in Jupiter all the time. I go out dinner with them. Play practice rounds with them. I know what people there are. I know their wives. I know their kids really well. Um, you know, I’ve told them this. I’m older than all of them, but I look up to each and every one of them. They’re all extremely good people. Um, I’ve learned so much from this group of players. They they go about their career in a much different way than I did. They want to make friendships. They want to enjoy their time. They want to celebrate their friends when they play well. And something that I’ve learned from each and every one of them that um I’ll take with me for the rest of my life. here to 14. Keegan, I these guys are all highly motivated for this, but do you feel that coming off of the the those who played in Rome coming off of what they experienced can be a little bit more inside of a push and a little bit more of a sense of, you know, kind of redemption for those guys? Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, anytime you lose, you want to come back and win and uh but when you’re home at a you’re at a home rider cup, there’s not much more motivation that you need. The fans are going to give us all that. The players in that room are going to give us that. The the vice captains, the caddies, the wives, we we all want to win. And this is a totally different team than was in Rome. Um, this team is 0 and0. And, you know, we want to go out this week and represent the country in Beth Paige and the fans here the best we can. Mike Seven, Keegan, this is the only sports event I can think of where the entire team has to come in and do a press conference together and face the media afterwards. Can you tell us what it was like to be in that position as a team to have to come and face the media afterwards? Yeah, I think uh, you know, anytime that you are in a public, you know, play a sport or whatever, this is part of the job. You you you’re expected that you come in when you win, sometimes you got to come in when you lose. And we come in together and, you know, I I think, you know, you you as a athlete and somebody that lives in the public eye, sometimes, you know, that’s something that you have to do. It’s difficult. That’s tough, but you know, that’s part of the that’s part of the job just like you’d come in here if you want. So, um, but again, come in as a team and, um, hopefully we won’t do that this week. Mike, hi Keegan. Following up on the president, he was obviously in the Yankees clubhouse the other week. Sorry, his sore spot. Um, is there any plans to have him come in and talk to the team at all? Um, give any motivation or a phone call perhaps like he did with the Team USA hockey? Yeah, I think President Trump’s a pretty busy guy. I I’m just thrilled he’s going to be here. Um I I really I really look forward to what that first te’s is going to like with a president on the on the tea. I think this first te at Beth Paige is going to be a sporting event to remember across any sport and then you add on the president of the United States standing there. I really think it’s going to be um something that everyone will remember forever. Up to 18. Ke Keegan, sorry. Behind the camera. Um, you mentioned veteran leaders on this team. How have you relied on them to bring the rookies in? JJ was mentioning talking to JT about finding his place or, you know, earning his place on this team and kind of coming in with that attitude as opposed to, you know, maybe shying away or or being nervous about being a first year player. Yeah. Well, I think we have a really unique group of players on our team that in that we don’t have any super young players and we don’t have any older players. They’re all sort of the same age. And what’s really unique about this team is they all really take care of each other. I mean, JJ Spawn’s the US Open champion and he’s he’s willing to go to, you know, his peers uh and ask for advice and how how to how to go about this. Um, and these veteran players are always open to helping players. Forget about if it’s the Ryder Cup. They they want to help JJ play better at the Travelers or wherever it is. And when it comes to the RDER Cup, they rally around each other and they rally around the rookies and um really proud of the veterans and the older players for what they’ve done for our team. Can I brief follow does that make your job easier or how do you sort of being a peer as well kind of balance the role of captain with having sort of these maybe not assistant captains but veteran players? Yeah, I think it it makes my job a lot easier when our veteran players are so open to help. And you know, I had that as well. I Jim Furick was on teams that I was on that helped me, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods. Um, you know, I think when you get come into these team events, you really need to rely on those older players. Go ahead, Doug. Keegan, when you when you take stock of a of a player’s career, public, media, players, whatever. Uh, you look at majors, you look at total wins. How much should a writer Cup be included in in measuring someone’s career, whether it’s personal record or how many winning teams you played on? I think it’s a it’s it’s a huge part of our game. I think the only two things in the golf world that you are when you retire is either a major winner or a rider cuppper. No matter what happens, you know, you you look at that guy. I remember uh watching events as a kid and my dad saying, “He’s a Ryder Cuper or he’s a major champion.” And that that never goes away. That’s with you forever. And I think, you know, the Ryder Cup has become such a big stage for us and what we do in our career. And um when you can go out there and perform at out here in this level and make an impact on your country, I think that’s up there with anything you can achieve can achieve in the game. When you think of great Rder Cup players of all time, who comes to mind? Paul Azinger, um Phil Mickelson, Payne Stewart, Justin Leonard. Uh you that Justin Leonard’s putt on 17 in Brooklyn, I was there changed my course of my life. So, um, you know, I think of players like that. I think of Jordan Speed. I think of Justin Thomas. Um, you know, and I think these guys, a lot of the guys on our team now are trying to carve their legacy in this event. Wrap it up over on Mike Nine. Ke, you talked a little bit about the veterans advice to to these rookies that are playing, but those four guys specifically, why do you think they’re so well fitted to not only play, but succeed in an event like this? Who’s that first time? the the the four quoteunquote rookies for you guys. Yeah. Well, I think you know, one of our rookies is JJ Spawn, who won the US Open this year at Oakmont. That’s pretty amazing feat. Um, you know, and Cameron Young and all these guys that are rookies, they performed at the highest level when they needed to to make the team. And I can tell you from experience coming down the stretch of the playoffs at the end of the PGA tour trying to make the team being a bubble guy, I think this is the hardest amount of pressure that I’ve ever played under. So these guys went out in the last month or two of the season when if they didn’t play the way they did, they wouldn’t be here. And you know, if you can go out there and play under those conditions and win under those conditions, you can play well anywhere. Great. Thanks for your time, Keegan. We appreciate it.