Maurice Brosnan: Keegan Bradley plays his part in the Ryder Cup soap opera

USA's Keegan Bradley during a press conference at The Times Centre, New York. Picture date: Tuesday October 8, 2024.

After weeks of suspense and speculation, came the comedown. It was another reminder to never underestimate a golfer’s ability to turn the simplest question into a labyrinth of hedges.

Towards the end of the press conference for the USA Ryder Cup captain’s picks, the moderator threw a question to the floor for the gathered players. They all sat there, indifferent.

“Leave it up to any of your four to respond…” was taken literally. They left it hanging.

On that silent note, US captain Keegan Bradley issued his final remarks having already unveiled his 12-player team. When it came to the big temptation of whether or not he should pick himself, Bradley played it smart. With a tricky pin and disaster lurking, he laid up.

“I grew up wanting to play Ryder Cups and wanting to fight alongside these guys. It broke my heart not to play, it really did,” he said.

“I was chosen to do a job and be a captain for this team and my ultimate goal was to be the best captain I could be. This is how I felt I could do this.

"If it got to the point where it felt the team was better with me on it I was going to do that. I know 100% for certain this was the right choice.”

Ultimately, the only loser is European captain Luke Donald, who surely would have relished the prospect of his opposite number wrestling with playing as well as captaining.

Two years on from the iconic Netflix moment that saw Bradley receive the news that he wasn’t making the Ryder Cup team, he was front of house describing the slow torture of phoning men to tell them they were not chosen and the joy of informing the chosen few.

Emotions spilled out in those conversations, all except Patrick Cantlay. “Pat did not give me any emotion.”

It was a masterstroke of showmanship, drawing the world in. There had been ample opportunities to confirm that there would not be a playing captain, but that would deny the eyeballs that this industry craves.

Consider how he built his case, step by step, breadcrumb by breadcrumb: win the Travelers Championship, finish 12th on the PGA Tour's money list, and 11th in the Ryder Cup standings.

At last week’s Tour Championship, Bradley himself promised fireworks. “It is going to be controversial to certain people either way. I am prepared for that."

Somehow, it swelled to a point where the actual press conference felt as charged as a Sunday back nine. The suspense was real. Even the order felt calculated. He started with the expected pick of Justin Thomas.

Collin Morikawa came next. Then Ben Griffin, the in-form 29-year-old. There had been mutterings, deep unease, at the prospect Griffin might be overlooked. Cameron Young was announced subsequently. 

Patrick Cantlay followed, which meant it all boiled down to the final showdown pick of Sam Burns or Bradley himself.

That should have been the crescendo, but Young accidentally let it slip. After each pick, they cut to the golfer for a quick interview. Young managed to reveal the final pick in his brief segment.

Do any of your team-mates know you were on the winning 2014 US junior Ryder Cup team in Scotland?

“I think one of them might remember in particular,” he said absentmindedly. “I know Sam was on that team with me so that is a fun memory to share.”

That spoiler didn’t detract from the show. The Ryder Cup trades in these sort of mini-dramas. It is the essence of the tournament. Cast your mind back to the dreadfully one-sided iteration in Italy and the stream of entertainment that spilled forward anyway: No hat Pat, caddy fights, tradition and tears.

On one hand, the lack of a playing captain, something we haven’t seen since the 1960s, is a disappointment. On the other, if the USA lose, they have a skipper who will have to wrestle with the reality he could have bent the outcome with his own hands. The home side remain slim favourites with Donald set to make his six picks next week.

Wednesday was another reminder that it is the noise that sustains it. The Ryder Cup is not just a match; it is the sporting people’s soap opera. It thrives on the theatre of selection and omission as much as the competition.

A peculiar madness will descend later this month, one that grips players, captains and a captivated audience alike.

After all, as Europe prepare to return Stateside for the first time since their record loss at Whistling Straits, it is worth remembering Lee Westwood’s departing words:

“I hate this tournament. It makes you so emotional, but that is what makes it great as well.” Roll on Bethpage Black.