Keegan Bradley looks displeased during the 2014 Ryder Cup. | Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
After getting snubbed by Ryder Cup U.S. Captain Zach Johnson, Keegan Bradley spoke at length about his true feelings.
Keegan Bradley is feeling down.
Heartbroken. Devastated. Crushed.
He has been overlooked for the 2023 Ryder Cup team as U.S. Captain Zach Johnson opted for six other players instead. Those who made the team include Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka.
Bradley spoke with Todd Lewis of the Golf Channel after Johnson revealed his picks.
“I am super bummed out,” Bradley said. “I thought I put together a really good year with two wins, including [one] in Hartford over an elite field. I’m proud of what I’ve done.”
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Keegan Bradley celebrates his victory at the 2023 Travelers Championship.
“I think [Thomas] is a generational talent… I’ve always been an outsider in the sport, but I have tried to get closer to the guys I thought would be on the team. I feel like moving forward, I’m going to have to automatically qualify for the Ryder Cup. [That said,] I am [still] pulling for the U.S. Team.”
Joining Thomas on the U.S. team will be Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler, who are all best friends.
Sam Burns was also selected ahead of Bradley, as Burns and Scottie Scheffler are close. The two participate in Bible study routinely throughout the season.
Scheffler, the number one ranked player in the world, automatically qualified for the team in July. So did Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa, and Xander Schauffele.
After revealing his selections to join the automatic qualifiers, Johnson noted that these six players had an input in selecting the Ryder Cup team.
Hence Bradley saying he feels like an “outsider.”
Nevertheless, the 2011 PGA Champion will have to watch this Ryder Cup from home.
He last participated in the competition in 2014, when the Europeans trounced the Americans in Scotland.
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Keegan Bradley misses a putt at the 2012 Ryder Cup.
Bradley also played for Team USA in 2012 at Medinah, where Team Europe roared back during Sunday singles to stun the Americans.
His prior Ryder Cup experiences have resulted in disappointment, which is unfortunate considering how much Bradley loves the competition.
“I think about the Ryder Cup every second I’m awake, basically,” Bradley said ahead of the BMW Championship.
He routinely expressed his desire to participate in this year’s Ryder Cup throughout the FedEx Cup playoffs.
“I try my hardest not to think of the Ryder Cup, but everybody asks me about it,” Bradley said at the Tour Championship. “As I’m walking down the fairways, everyone’s yelling at me about it. So it’s impossible for me not to think about it.”
Now, it will be impossible for him not to think about the Ryder Cup in Rome, and should the U.S. go on to lose, Bradley will be left to wonder what could have been had he made the team.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
