Keegan Bradley playing best golf of career, somehow freed up by pressure of United States Ryder Cup captaincy

Following his win at the 2025 Travelers Championship, Keegan Bradley made a surprising admission that he “finds peace” inside the ropes amid his U.S. Ryder Cup captaincy. Every waking moment of his professional and personal lives these days is engulfed by every aspect of his captaincy — shuttle schedules, food menus, playing combinations and which players he should ultimately select with his six captain’s picks in three months’ time at Bethpage Black.

It has taken over Bradley’s day-to-day. Ironically, the one place where he feels he can escape is not at home or spending time with family but smack dab in the center of the arena, where one might least expect a jittery New Englander to find peace.  

Everyone knows that the 39-year-old eats, breathes and sleeps the Ryder Cup. He has yet to unpack his suitcase from the 2014 edition of the event where Bradley was the man who relinquished the clinching point to the European side at Gleneagles. It serves as a reminder of unfinished business and an unfulfilled dream: raising the cup with his fellow countrymen.

Two years prior, Bradley was bumbling down the fairways alongside Phil Mickelson in a partnership that was thought to last. The way he played, Bradley was certain to experience numerous Ryder Cups in his future, a win most definitely.

The two appeared invincible at Medinah, as did the Americans as a whole, until Sunday came around and the Europeans memorably overcame at 10 to 6 deficit to claim the cup on American soil. It marked the last time that a visiting team has won the Ryder Cup — a streak Bradley hopes continues as he spearheads the home team’s effort this year.

Those are Bradley’s only two Ryder Cup experiences — an away loss where he saw the home team celebrate on the green right in his face and a home loss where he saw the away team pull off the impossible. Add in his public absence from the 2023 Ryder Cup team — Netflix’s “Full Swing” cameras captured the devastating moment he received word from then-captain Zach Johnson that he was not chosen as a member of the team despite being ranked No. 11 in the standings — and it hasn’t exactly been a two-way relationship. 

Despite the Ryder Cup providing him some of the most fun moments of his playing career, it has largely been a burden filled with painful memories.

And then everything changed. The PGA of America made a head-scratching decision that felt rushed — at least not that well thought out — when it selected Bradley as captain without conducting an interview or holding a conversation with their choice. Still south of 40 with plenty of good golf in front of him, Bradley jumped at the chance. In a weird twist of fate, his game has jumped to new heights because of it.

“I’ve been on the Tour for 15 years. I’ve won big tournaments, I’ve won a major, I’ve been in these situations before, maybe not quite as extreme with the crowds, but I really genuinely enjoy it,” Bradley said after winning the Travelers Championship on Sunday. “I think sometimes, when you’re trying to win, it’s not enjoyable; it’s terrifying. 

“I’ve had that as well, and it doesn’t feel comfortable and you feel like — I think [Daniel] Berger said at the AT&T one year it feels like you’re going to have a heart attack every hole when you’re trying to win a tournament. Sometimes it does, and then sometimes you have these weird moments like I did on 18 where I felt very comfortable on each shot. I can’t explain to you why, but I’ve practiced thousands of hours to do this; I practice breathing techniques that help me stay calm and I think they help.”

With his win at TPC River Highlands, Bradley has leapt to a new career-high No. 7 in the Official World Golf Rankings. It marks the first time Bradley’s name has been inside the top 10 since Aug. 4, 2013. That week, the top 10 was made up of Tiger Woods, Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar, Brandt Snedeker, Graeme McDowell, and ironically enough, Bradley’s opposing captain in the Ryder Cup, Luke Donald.

Despite not raising a trophy that season, Bradley’s 2013 campaign was considered his best from a statistical standpoint. He claimed five top-5 finishes, including runner-up results in his defense of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the Byron Nelson. It was a continuation of his strong play after flashing onto the scene with his PGA Championship win in 2011. Bradley had three trophies in as many years on the PGA Tour. Not too shabby.

Of course, as most everyone experiences on the PGA Tour at some point, a lull follow. Bradley was unable to find the winner’s circle from 2013-17 as he was flummoxed on the greens after the anchoring ban and tried to reinvent his preshot routine that consisted of spitting on the ground and anxiously tip toeing towards his golf ball while twirling his club in hand.

A BMW Championship title came at long last in 2018, but it did not necessarily open the floodgates as another dry spell materialized across the next four seasons. Having three in as many years, Bradley added just one more trophy to his mantle in one full decade of play.

After seven straight years of losing strokes on the dance floor, though, Bradley finally found his groove with the putter in 2022, starting to find the winner’s circle again some of that early career consistency.

Bradley now has four PGA Tour wins since the start of the 2022-23 season with three of those coming in signature events and the FedEx Cup Playoffs. That total puts behind only two players, Scottie Scheffler and McIlroy, in terms of victories during that span, second among Americans.

PGA Tour wins since start of 2022-23 season

Bradley’s putting has improved, and his short game has soared to heights never seen before — all while his ball striking has persisted. It has caused his 2025 season to surpass his 2013 campaign in terms of total strokes gained. It’s the best statistical season of his career, highlighted by the Travelers win and complimented by top 10s at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Memorial and PGA Championship.

This run — this season in particular — appears to be more than just tangible ticks up in strokes-gained categories. It appears to be coming at the hands of a man unaffected by the noise outside the ropes, including a rash of calls to be a playing captain at the Ryder Cup and consistent chants of “U-S-A, U-S-A” as he approaches every green. 

The more chaotic the situation, the more zoned in Bradley appears. At peace amid the madness, he has returned to the level of a world-class golfer as he hopes to return the Ryder Cup back to the United States as a captain … and maybe as a player, too.