When Narrative Beats Strategy: Bradley’s Ryder Cup Fall
- PG Geldenhuys
- Oct 1
- 4 min read
The images have, through Netflix and social media, been seen around the world. Keegan Bradley accepting a gut-wrenching call from Zach Johnson telling him he was not picked for the 2023 Ryder Cup, in front of his wife and children. Bradley proclaiming to the victorious American team at the 2024 Presidents Cup that they would F*ck up the Europeans when he was in charge. Bradley hitting a hole in one at the US Masters par 3 tournament, and wildly celebrating in adoring fashion with his young boys.
He was the feel-good story for the ages. The passionate team player who played brilliantly in failed campaigns in 2012 and 2014. The unlucky outsider who was the victim of Zach Johnson’s flawed captaincy decisions in 2023, the man who should have been there and would have helped right the ship. The current competitor who would bring back swashbuckling swagger to the US team in the absence of his mentor and fallen hero Phil Mickelson. The six-man US selection panel decided that in a thin pipeline of leaders, courtesy of LIV Golf, Bradley would be their man.
And they had good cause to do so.
Zach Johnson, on the committee, could ease his conscience on not selecting him the previous year. His close friends and members of his losing team were champions Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, who would echo his guilt at Bradley’s exclusion. Were they not, after all, the prime beneficiaries of Johnson’s selection policies? And the members of the PGA on that panel? Well, they had Netflix in their ear, the broadcaster pushing big money into the tournament. And they needed a story, because a story is what drives ratings. Tiger said no. So did Phil. Who was left? Couples is too old… and Stewart Cink is a great servant of the game, but do you or I even know what he looks like? No, they needed something more. A captain still in the limelight, a captain that would create buzz. A captain with a story.
Boy oh boy, did they get it.
Bradley took the job. Who says no to an opportunity like this? The man lives for the Ryder Cup. But here’s the kicker. His general play was on an upswing, and for the next 18 months, he was playing well enough to put himself into the top 10 and a sure pick for the team - if he wasn’t captain. He was focused on his own game, winning tournaments and pushing for exclusion - and this was the story, for most of the lead-up.
In the end, he didn’t automatically qualify, and despite being 10th in the standings, also didn’t select himself as playing captain. It would have been folly. The captaincy is a full-time job these days. After all, you need to drive the statistics, set up the course, manage the players, tactically approach the pairings and order of play, and like Luke Donald would show, mind all the details.
In hindsight, is any of it a surprise? Bradley was sympathetic and relatable in the first two days’ press conferences. He and this team were reeling under a remarkable European onslaught. The greens were not as quick as they would have liked (Thursday rain), his top players failed to deliver, his pairings misfired. And even after a remarkable rally that pushed Europe to the brink on Sunday, the result was a historic loss on home turf.
Bradley would praise the Europeans, and lament his strategic misfire in the way he set up the course. He would admit that his pairings did not click and his top guns did not perform. And in the end, he would walk away with the odd attribution of the heroic loser, the near miracle of Sunday putting a sheen on his failure.
I feel for the guy. He’s a good egg, if an odd one. He’s not one of the boys, and for the people counting the cash, it was a no-brainer. A feel-good redemption story if you ever saw one, a man in conflict with himself and his role, who would either heroically succeed in a job too big for him, or heroically fail given the odds stacked against him. A man with no leadership pedigree, no real track record, no real right to be there. But by virtue of his relatability and his passion, he would make for compelling entertainment. And so what if the US predictably scored an own goal and lost a tournament they should have easily won?
150,000 people showed up during the week, and by my reckoning, this was a HALF A BILLION Dollar revenue event. Sponsors, spectators and the New York businesses were enthralled by the spectacular show, and Caroline and I were gobsmacked by the size and scale of the production. For sure we were all entertained, and the real winners are Netflix.
Full Swing, the documentary show that follows the PGA Tour and its players, will drive record ratings in about four months’ time as they retell this story in excruciating detail. They will track Scottie Scheffler’s dominance and nice guy persona, and muse on how he could be so ineffective on this stage. They will glorify Rory’s Masters heroics, before documenting his descent into villainy. And they will observe Bradley’s internal conflict as he both tries to deliver on his leadership mandate while revelling in a new lease on playing life. I’ll tune in, and so will you. Ka-ching.
PG’s Pro Tip:
Focus, dear reader. Focus on what’s wildly important, say no to distractions, and resist Big Shiny Objects. Keegan Bradley should never have been offered the job. He should never have said yes. The US team should never have lost on home soil. The narrative controlled him, all in the name of a compelling story. And I think he should be OK, but I doubt he will ever get the chance to captain or play again, and his Ryder Cup legacy will always be 0 for 3. If you don’t have a plan, someone else’s plan will win.
In the case of the 2025 Ryder Cup, that plan belonged to Luke Donald. While all the talk in the US was of Bradley’s play-or-not-to-play decision, Donald was laser-like focused on the hostile reception his team would face in New York. And in years to come, the way he tackled that challenge will be talked about as a masterclass in leadership. In my next blog, I’ll unpack why he is already being talked about as the GOAT…
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