The Plot Behind Naming Keegan Bradley US Ryder Cup Captain

Congratulations! Keegan Bradley – named US Ryder Cup Captain. The plot to name him Captain has far reaching effects. What does it mean for The PGA of America, PGA Tour Enterprises, SSG, LIV Golf and Keegan himself now at the very center of Pro Golfs grand struggle.

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Darkstar Keegan Bradley is the new captain of the US Ridder Cup squad headed to Beth Page next year to say it was a surprise would be doing the word surprise a disfavor I think everyone was shocked shocked that Keegan Bradley would be named I was like what Keegan Bradley really but it says a lot about Tiger Woods says a lot about the depth of the potential captains for the US Squad there isn’t any uh there’s a lot of things to cover here let’s get to it What was your reaction to this uh appointment well this is a hope for me a dream scenario the Keegan Bradley comes in and completely makes to the PGA of America and the PGA Tour become completely separate again cuz I think Seth W left because he was trying to almost merge them he capitulated to everything the PGA T wanted them to do and the PGA of America and you and I have talked to some local Pros they hate the PGA of America now it’s become an anti-al Pro situation so I hope Keegan Bradley comes in he takes the Ryder Cup back snatches it away from the PGA Tour and says here’s what we’re going to do guys oh and by the way I’m going to appoint Phil Mickelson as my co- Captain which would be the greatest thing ever and if if PJ guys if Justin Thomas and Jordan SM don’t want to play for me fine screw you we’re taking the rider cup back we’re taking the PGA um Championship back we’re going to turn it back into the major move the thing back to August this is what I hope the PGA of America wakes up and goes their alliance with the PGA Tour was a terrible thing just like the DP tour is finding out yeah you gave us a100 million over x amount of years and you’re screwing us taking our top 10 players and turning us into a minor tour so that’s my dream that’s my hope that somebody at the PGA of America woke up and said hey screw these guys at the PGA Tour you know they they left us in You Know Jack and Arie left us they either come back into the fold or we’re going to start doing our own thing again what’s best for the the um average pro and what’s best for our tournament and what’s best for the Ryder Cup you you think and I like the Keegan Bradley pick yeah so you because he is an outsider you’re saying that Bradley being appointed the captain is a slap from the PGA of America to the PGA Tour is that what you’re saying 110% they are separate entities for those of you that like to comment yes we’re quite aware that the PGA of America is a different group than the PGA Tour but what you’re saying what you’re asserting is that like many things in life although these entities are separate distinct organizations true they seem to function as a uni party in a lot of ways so that the Pate guys in our last show that we asserted that the Pate guys may be assert uh putting out a lot of influence and influence that’s directing the PGA of America in certain ways and that perhaps Seth W didn’t like that and and left for that reason it’s one of the options that’s available for why he would leave and it’s Poss now the PE is into the PGA tour at Pate that somebody at the PE group SSG strategic Sports Group is asking what PE guys always ask which is why are you doing it that way that looks expensive or why you doing it that way we don’t have control well but the other company owns all that well we need that I mean PE guys ask questions because they have a very different agenda usually than the guys that have been there already and is that going on well I would I would expect the Strategic Sports Group guys to be throwing their weight around and asking a lot of questions like that like why are you doing it this way why does the PGA of America getting our players to play in the Ryder Cup and we don’t get squat that thing makes a $100 million gross why why aren’t we getting some of that what’s going on here well that’s the way it works well that’s crap it’s not the way it’s going to work going forward why would we do that there are players we’re a for-profit company those guys work for us not for them well but but but but but they own but they own the ryer cup well yeah get on the what you’re going to see in this upcoming Ryder Cup is Bradley’s going to actually pick guys hopefully that that actually want to play in the Ridder cup because the reason we go over to Europe and lose every time is not because they’re more talented not because it’s such a great home course Advantage it’s because our guys don’t give a they go over there with their wives and their girlfriends and they party and they go to Wimbleton they what was it Jordan spe I don’t think took a practice round he didn’t show two of our guys didn’t show up to the mandatory practice round in Rome really I can’t comprehend that so you really didn’t they didn’t have time darkar no time on the schedule as you know Tiger Woods is now I don’t have time to be Captain yeah so it it’s shocking to me to even to even hear that well why are we even as I said why are we even having the rider cup we don’t care about it Scotty sheffler was in a swing CH remember when Phil Mickelson changed equipment was in a Phil a swing change and we got beat like 18 and a half to whatever um up in Detroit there uh you know Scotty sheffler was going through something you know these guys shouldn’t even been on the team speed Thomas sheffler they shouldn’t have been on the team let alone uh you know and they didn’t care you know they’re over there with their wives they’re partying in Italy they had no interest in winning so that’s the second hope that it’s actually becomes competitive people care about winning the Euros they kind of care about winning and as um I think it was M was it McGinley who pointed out the us since we end our tour now because we don’t care about foot we because we’re so afraid to compete against football you know they end their season in the middle of August and the rider not for 6 weeks later so they don’t play competitive golf for 6 weeks and that was one thing that um you know the European people point out hey you guys aren’t going to be ready you can’t beat us we’re playing competitive golf pretty much right up till the Ryder Cup so so many so many things um go on but I I think you know we we we want to get back to focusing on the fact that in my opinion this is the PGA of America the shot over the bow saying to the p tour listen this is our thing we own all the pros we own the PGA Championship stop telling us what to do teaching Pros you mean teaching Pros yeah yeah and the teaching Pros have been pissed at the PGA of America well we’ve heard that they don’t the rank and file let’s just call them that the rank and file teaching pro is not a setha supporter and so perhaps that’s another option on those lists of options it could be reason or some combination you know e all the above that Seth was forced out because the rank and file don’t like him don’t want to follow his lead although you know I don’t know how much power they really have but some maybe to give Seth some credit I think he was in an untenable situation where he was trying to smooth things out between the PGA Tour the SSG group the PGA of America and it was an untenable position and he’s sitting down there in his at his country clubs talking to Ed and Jimmy at at seminal going hey guys this is terrible isn’t it this is not working out and they’re like well you should jump ship like we did because and who wants to spend you know my next decade dealing with this crap apparently not those guys uh or they were either they just didn’t care anymore to be in the fight or they see the fight as unwinable or a combination of those things um yeah it’s it’s interesting I don’t know that I it’s a it’s so they it’s been rumored and floated and on of course confirmed I guess that that that they offered the job to tiger and tiger said uh I’ve looked at my schedule I just I simply don’t have time I mean I play golf and I have four of those things a year that I have to be ready for I mean that’s a lot um and I have to practice you know twice a week uh for that and so I’m busy and then I have a board meeting once in a while that I have to attend uh my schedule’s full I mean I don’t have any room in I barely can get to the grocery store um so he can’t do it uh had nothing to do with the potential you know of losing on home soil and how that would maybe damage my reputation as we discussed previously the the the real answer to that is well I’m trying to destroy the live golf and that’s create well let’s set you answer that one let me set it up for you this way audience this is the way I want to set it up here’s Tiger’s thinking about the captaincy which he knows he can have at any time he can be Captain whenever he wants he just simply has to say I’m ready and the PG of America will anoint him the captain of the Ryder Cup team so that’s a fact and he’s right so when he looks at it he he says simply the same question that tiger always asks himself no matter what it is if he’s got something in front of him that’s an opportunity be it a romantic opportunity a winning a golf tournament something like this Ridder Cup captaincy being on the board of tour you name it here’s the question what’s in it for me how does this help me okay enough about me what do you think how this will help me you know that’s him okay perfect that’s he’s an easy guy to read and when he said Ryder Cup captain this time around at Beth Page we just lost in Rome the I’m now at Pate trying to really run golf globally and get rid of Liv um and still get some piff money maybe somehow maybe if I can pull that off but anyway I can’t have live I can’t have those Live players at the ryer cup no what’s in this for me so how did he address that Dark Star do you think what was the calculation it was a pretty simple calculation I think right well the point is there’s no upside it’s going to be a home game we have to win there’s only downside if we lose I’m going to look terrible and I I I don’t want to have to pick the Keegan Bradley’s I don’t want to have to pick the Bryson D Shambo or the uh Brooks kkas cuz I’m trying to destroy Liv so there’s zero upside so I think the real issue is why the quote unquote naming of the captaincy was uh delayed is because yes Ste Seth W was kind of on the way out he probably had a couple last ditch efforts to secure any confidence at the PGA of America which he was unable to do and tyer kept kind of probably stringing him along because tiger kept talking to his agents and talking to you know people that are in his inner circle and it’s like he couldn’t find any upside certainly not enough upside to take any chance at all ask you a question all right go ahead go finish your thought I might ask you a question well and then the other thought is too you know remember tiger was not at the Ryder Cup in Rome he Zack Johnson kind of inferred that well Tiger’s a vital Point why isn’t Tiger there if he’s a vital point and I think let’s face it Zack Johnson Fred Couples Davis Love Stuart sink all the names bantered around they all have one thing in common and that’s a low IQ I mean Fred Couples in my opinion and and and everybody loves Freddy but not not the ex-wife not not so much her he he’s basically up there with some of the great Underachievers in the history of sport let’s let’s face it right mhm yeah that’s maybe Fair how many majors has he won he won one one yeah the small field one he won the one small field one that is correct which is the one to win I mean arguably the greatest one to win but sure it is the smallest field to be honest with you you know um Mar Omer had commented multiple times that Freddy really shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame has he said that and I think that’s why Mark Mar omir has exiled himself to ski country yeah he lives in Park City area yeah yeah so um obviously might my you know anyway so you got to get somebody in there with some you know and Keegan Bradley grew up a golfer obviously his aunts a star and I don’t know his IQ but at least he’s got the passion and he will certainly if he doesn’t actually name michon a co- Captain he will certainly take his consult and go from there that’s interesting yeah I guess yeah I guess you won’t see Keegan get a contract offer from Liv at this point one that he can accept anyway um oh I’m just that’s interesting element Pat Bradley is Keegan’s Aunt what a great nice person Pat Bradley is yeah really nice I’ve met her many times super nice lady and a player um I have a question for you you ready I’m ready and audience audience I’ll ask the audience first Darkstar then I’m going to come to you okay did Seth W the former CEO of the PGA of America which is different than the PGA Tour Dark Star the did Seth want Tiger Woods to be the Ryder Cup captain ready I’m ready let on me yeah he did he was the goet Seth W saw himself as the goet between the PGA Tour and the PGA of America and I think that’s why ultimately he was out he did truly feel that there needs to be some type of merger and I think in his discussions with tiger and they were short he would bring that up and tiger would say go screw yourself that’s not happening and I think when I saw his interviews at the PGA Championship whether he was talking about the ball roll back or was talking about is there an Avenue for live guys he was truly trying to do what’s best for golf and he could not say what he wanted to say in public as you know we could ask a million guys what’s really going on and nobody’s going to tell us exactly what is going on very few people tell the truth correct that’s why I have analysts yeah I know I got to stop doing that that’s a problem I has As We Know um anyway the point being sure he wanted tiger because he wanted tiger to unify Tour live PGA of America bring everybody back Under One Roof and it’s it’s not going to happen too many people have their hand out too many people are dipping into the cookie jar that’s never happening and I think that’s where Ste Seth when when he had those final discussions with tiger he was like yeah I I’m done this is I can’t I can’t I can’t do anything you know yeah I have a different take on that I think I think you might be correct in that Seth wanted tiger or was complacent with having tiger be Captain um but that’s different than wanting him to be Captain I don’t since Seth has come come out and I think made no bones about it we had said in our last show he is a pro uni Pro unification let’s say that doesn’t mean he agrees on every little thing or even some of the big items but I am Pro unification we’ll leave it right there for this free preview of our Inner Circle podcast please join us click the upgrade button in the email you received or on the podcast page and get the rest of this episode and all our Inner Circle shows right here on the thinking man Inner Circle podcast unfiltered and Off Script