Keegan Bradley Talks 2025 Ryder Cup, Patriots, Celtics & More with Rich Eisen | Full Interview

PGA Tour golfer Keegan Bradley and Rich Eisen discuss the chances he, the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain, names himself to the team to play against the Europeans in September, talks New England Patriots and Boston Celtics, and offers up some (not-so-helpful??) advice to Rich heading into his appearance at this year’s celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.

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fresh off his victory in the state of Connecticut he is getting set to play in this week’s Rocket Classic at the Detroit Golf Club in Detroit Michigan on CBS which you can see right here on Roku ladies and gentlemen the US RDER Cup captain as well Keegan Bradley good to see you sir how are you
i’m doing good boys thank you for having me
yeah we’re all clapping for you
yeah buddy
that was our best golf club
oh nice i didn’t even hear it
yeah one more time ready go yeah perfect that’s better
now when you I By the way the one time I played in the proam at the TPC of River Highlands where you just won uh I was playing with Mark Brooks um and I I asked him “How do you respond to the golf club do you just touch your cap do you do a quick wave?” Like what’s your choice Keegan what’s your choice
well you the the the pro move is to just you just you don’t even tip it you just you just grab it
there’s no tipping it’s just a quick like light grab
just a tug just a touch and a tug that’s it that’s
You don’t even need to tug it’s just a
and then you move on yeah he Mark said his his choice was no thumbs no guns meaning none of this and none of that that’s
that’s what he told me anything else is fine just you never go thumbs up or you know like that sort of thing but
I’m a big thumbs up guy so I I I’d have to disagree
okay good enough little push back but hey and it’s your world right now or just rent payers that’s right uh so what what was that like for you uh in the final holes final day there on on Sunday with that big comeback for from you Keegan
well you know you you dream as a kid of of making the tour and winning tournaments and doing everything and then sometimes in in sporting life or in regular life you’re you’re in the middle of something you haven’t even ever dream dreamt about i mean that was literally as a kid I went there it was my first PDA tour event I ever been to and just wanting to play in the tournament was my lifelong goal and then all of a sudden here I am on on 18 with the whole crowd cheering for me you know people everywhere and hitting shots that were perfect and it was just it’s real literally like you’re living a dream well it was 27 years ago I played in that proam Keegan so potentially was was that you ducking when I actually you know hooked one off the tea like round like hole six hole seven could that have been you
i I I would be weary to go watch a proam with with the balls flying around the course so I wouldn’t have been there
okay very good i’m glad I’m glad you’ve you you’ve you’ve got your standards since uh since you were a kid um and so you’re you’re from Vermont but wound up at St john’s correct is that Yeah so I grew I grew up in in Vermont and then moved to Hopin and Mass in high school later in high school and uh just outside of Boston and I I just I didn’t get recruited at all from any schools and St john’s Frank Darby gave me a offered me a full scholarship and he I remember the next day he said “Well what do you think are you going to come?” I’m like “Full scholarship yeah that’s all you needed to say i don’t even need to come on the recruiting trip.” So and you know to be to be honest with you I I really wanted to go there build up a resume and maybe go to a SEC school or or whatever it was and I went to St john’s in Queens and I just fell in love with the school and the golf team and all the guys on the team and I couldn’t have ever dreamt of leaving
and is it true that when you were at St john’s uh one of the first courses you played uh in college was Beth Paige Black out in Long Island is that true
yeah so the the superintendent at the time was name was Craig Courier and uh he used to let us park at the maintenance shed which is on the third T and we would play the inside loop so no no one would know we were there the course was closed so we couldn’t cross the road so you’d play three through 14 and we were the only people on the golf course and this was fresh off of Tiger Win US Open there uh it was the first time I had ever been on a major championship golf course it was just uh really special
and obviously the reason why I bring it up it’s that’s where the RDER Cup is taking place so that’s going to be a neat full circle moment for you I would imagine right
it it really is it’s uh it’s surreal i I still now I can’t I can’t believe it’s it’s happening but uh you know I have a lot of some of my my favorite memories with the St sean’s golf team walking around Beth Page with you know normally at Beth Page crowd there’s you know people are playing it’s jammed and we’re out there by ourselves having a playing inome you know with a with a money game with all of our buddies you know and then now you know fast forward we’re going to be out there represent rep representing our country trying to win the Ryder Cup
yeah the ultimate figurative money game that’s for sure you know what I mean and uh obviously the it begs the question and I’m sure you’ve been you were asked it all weekend you’ve been asked it uh over the last couple weeks is when you’re at Beth Paige Black in September uh will you be the captain or will you be a player on the team that you’ve chosen or will you be both Keegan
well I’ll defin I’ll definitely be at least the captain that’s for sure i I I I have a great vice captains around me that are there for me if that does happen i will do whatever is best what I think is best for the team certainly me winning last week has changed sort of the stance that we had uh before that i I never would have played on the team if I hadn’t won it definitely changes things a little bit but we still got two months before the before the RDER Cup or three months and um we’re going to make the best decision if if me playing is going to help the team then we’re going to do that if it doesn’t then we’re not and and we’re still a long way away from from making that decision so technically are are you playing for your spot that you can choose for yourself Keegan did I get that
i guess I guess so it’s so strange it’s a It’s a really It’s a really strange thing because I can’t ask any advice to anyone about this tiger did it at the President’s Cup um which he’s been excellent ryder Cup’s a little different than the President’s Cup and uh you know I I I’m in trying to go about this path and the last person to do it was Arnold Balmer in 1962 so I don’t have I can’t call up a guy and be like hey what was your experience doing this how was it so we’re all learning this as we go and uh learn it on the fly but I’m lucky my vice captains have been great they they’ll they’ll help me with this decision and um so how often are you meeting with vice captains in the middle of um actually being a player winning a champ winning a uh an event last week and now being in Michigan for this one like what are you doing
well we had dinner we all had dinner last night uh and we’re chatting and you know but we’re talking every day you know every single day we’re working on the RDER Cup there isn’t a day where we’re not you know planning things out talking about players uh figuring out what we want to do for the team so this is this is a daily process especially as we get closer things are ramping up and we’re starting to see the team the team take shape and we know you know we know a bunch of guys that are going to be on the team and who we compare them with when we want to play them what format so things are getting serious
now uh walk me through who is at this dinner what What is that who’s it who’s at the dinner
uh so my my vice captains right now are uh Jim Furick
right
uh Brandt Snedeker
Webb Simpson and Kevin Kisner there’s there’s one more there that we haven’t announced yet that
I’ve been sworn to secrecy but he’ll be announced really soon
okay and um in in terms of of that um who picks up the check for this dinner
i pick up the check always cuz you’re the captain or is that what it is
i I got to I got to tell you this this whole process in having these vice captains has been so incredible like I’m so proud of of to have them and when I’m around them like I feel really grateful that they’re on my side like you you every decision that I’ve made for a vice captain I’ve been happy with but then after I have them on board and we have some chats I’m like I’m just so grateful i I couldn’t do this without these guys have you hit up Tiger to maybe pick his brain on on on on doing what you said he did at the President’s Cup obviously we saw you know have you have you picked his brain a little bit
yes talking with Tiger there’s been there’s been a few people in this during this process that have been extremely helpful and you know supportive and constantly checking in and Tiger has been one of them he’s been uh really someone that I can lean on really someone that has given me great advice somebody that I can bounce ideas off of and you know he’s going to give me I I’m not looking for someone to agree with me ever if they don’t i want them to give me their real opinion and he and he does that in a great way keegan Bradley fresh off of winning uh in Cromwell Connecticut at the Travelers now zooming in from Detroit Michigan where this week’s Rocket Classic will be going down um I know the new CEO of the PGA sir very well um having uh worked uh in the flowchart underneath Brian Rolapath for many many years are you going to pick his brain on what’s up with the Patriots Keegan if you do get a chat to chance with him a chat to chance well I yes I definitely will and uh last week I had Adam Shfter walked to my group as a commentator i was picking his brain uh asking hoping the Patriots maybe get one more receiver yeah but I uh I any chance I can get to talk to these insiders about the Patriots or the Red Sox or whatever I am going to take that opportunity i am not shy about doing that
oh so what did Chef tell you what what insight did he give you
so Chef Well he he said “I’m going to give you my number so you could text me anytime you have any Patriot questions.” I’m like “Bro
you better be ready man excuse me this isn’t I’m This isn’t somebody who’s going to say they’re going to do it like you’re going to be cut hearing from me at 1 in the morning when I hear a rumor about Justin Jefferson coming to the Patriots or something.” But right uh yeah he it’s cool i I I love the Patriots so much it’s like It’s sort of strange because I an old I’m 39 years old now but I still feel like I’m 13 in my basement in Vermont watching him
yeah well I mean you you had quite the run when Brady was there uh Keegan you know what I mean i mean you you you must have enjoyed that that’s as good as it gets
you know
I really did i I tell people all the time how how important sports are for for everybody i I you know for me the Patriots I can I can chart my life on how the Super Bowls and my first Super Bowl I watched with my dad in the basement in Vermont the middle Super Bowls I watched with my wife we we went to two of them we went to the Seattle one and the 283 one and then the last one I held my son in my arms to to so like think this is
it’s not just winning the Super Bowl this is important you know I I I’m so I can mark you know the the times of my life in these magical moments by Patriot wins and uh I just think sports are really important
yeah marking of time man there’s no question uh that’s that’s how sports brings people together and you you got any two cents on the Celtics what they’re doing right now uh with uh their trades and what Jaylen Brown could do
sad to see
Oh is that what they’re saying
i mean who knows man who knows nobody knows right now but the the Celtics um you know for cap purposes for sure aprons and things like that um sent away as we we all know Jaru Holiday and and Chris Sporzing you got two cents on that Keegan
yeah well I I know that they had that huge luxury tax bill coming and and and people of Boston I listen to sports radio all the time Felgger and Mass all the time and they’re talking about this monster bill that’s coming and that the team’s going to look a lot different and I think we all kind of knew that when we we you know they signed everybody after that NBA championship and you’re like how does that work doesn’t seem like every you could do that anymore but um you know they they have Brad Stevens is a genius so he’s I feel like he’s getting to a level with Bellich where when you see a trade or something you’re kind of like what’s he up to there something’s going to be good here so uh I’m I have a faith in them and um hopefully Jason Tatum heals up good and these boys will be right back at it
i literally as you were saying that Keegan I was thinking you know with Bill now in North Carolina it’s it’s in Brad we trust you know what I mean like that’s that’s the the phrase that pays right now
it really is it’s it’s uh you know he’s he’s getting to that point like I said where I I see one of the guys being traded and I’m bummed but then I’m like well let’s see what Let’s see what the details are of this because normally his trades are spot on okay Keegan uh uh it’s been a great uh time to chat with you here i appreciate the time uh I’m going to ask you a question i asked of JJ Spawn um last week when he came on after winning the US Open i’m I’m playing in the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe Nevada yeah I’m I’m not that good um straight up like Marty Fish is not quaking in his boots steph Curry John Smoltz they’re they’re not I’m not that object close in their rearview mirror um I haven’t played in this event in 21 years um I already gave you the idea of of how good I might be um I haven’t improved 20 from 27 years ago with Mark Brooks to now do you have any advice for me going out there you’re going to you are going to be so nervous let me tell you and let me let me just let you a little insight on the today’s athlete and what you’re going to have to deal with
if you hit a horrible shot or miss a short putt or hit somebody
it’s on social media forever
so just I don’t if you just want to have that in the back of your mind
yes
uh I would be just be wary of that uh that’s my only warning to you but I would say couple cocktails ah
relax okay
and you’ll be fine okay because I was about to question your leadership and captaincy’s abilities with your first statement and then you saved you saved it with the swing oil Keegan i’m I’m with you on that one i appreciate that uh piece of advice uh listen congrats again on on the win in the Travelers uh best of luck here in Michigan uh this weekend and and I’m I I can’t wait to see what you’re cooking up uh for Beth Paige Black and the Ryder Cup congratulations on the captaincy and I I’m I do hope that uh you we we do get to see you out there cuz I’m sure the kid uh at St john’s wouldn’t mind doing that too
yeah you know
for sure and I want to thank you guys for all the Seinfeld uh content that we get behind the scenes that’s where we get all that’s where you that’s where we get all of our inside scoop Seinfeld stuff i love it
okay all right
there’s more to come i got more in my back pocket man we we’ve got I appreciate you you saying that because we we love doing that here um thanks again for the time sir
thank you boys
you bet ladies and gentlemen the US Cup team captain Kan Bradley here on the Rich Eisen Show catch the Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from 12 to 3:00 p.m