Brandel Chamblee Takes Subtle Dig at Keegan Bradley’s Picks as Team USA’s Troubling History Surfaces

With Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, and Collin Morikawa among his captain’s picks, Keegan Bradley made some bold choices for Team U.S. While the Team Europe captain has gone for the trusted formula, Americans will rely on a blend of rookies and veterans. As Justin Thomas explained, Bradley’s approach was based on “whatever is best for the team.” And considering the last five Ryder Cups have been in favor of the home team, playing at Bethpage should not be a concern for Team U.S. Yet, veteran analyst Brandel Chamblee isn’t convinced, warning that Keegan’s squad may not be ready for what Luke Donald has planned.

Well, Keegan may have made the right picks, but it will take a lot more than not picking himself to win the Ryder Cup. Reflecting on recent history, the Golf Channel critic told Trey Wingo, “The last five Ryder Cups have been won by the home team and have been won by an average of almost seven points. They’ve been absolute blowouts. So, first and foremost, I just hope it’s close because I want something compelling to happen on Sunday.”

While the foursomes and fourballs have been great over the last few years, the singles matches on Sunday have not been as thrilling for the spectators. The results have followed the same pattern that was observed during the team matches. Match plays haven’t changed the course of the tournament, as the team that was already winning has gained more points to continue their domination.

Chamblee also talked about how Team U.S. has lost its impressive arsenal of long-range drivers and incredible short-game players. Recollecting a time when the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, and others gave them a huge boost due to their abilities with the driver and wedges. Now, they can’t set up their courses to give their team such a boost, as both teams are far more evenly matched in all departments now.

However, Brandel believes, “Europe always goes in hugely underranked and as the underdog. And they just put teams together far better than the U.S. They use statistics far better than the U.S. They are just way beyond the ability of the U.S. teams to understand the metrics that are important to putting teams together, picking them, pairing them, and preparing them for the Ryder Cup. So, I feel like Europe’s going to give the U.S. a very good Ryder Cup.”

While Team U.S. has always had the better bag of players at its disposal, historically, the Europeans have been better at team management. Hence, even players like Tiger Woods, who have dominated the world of golf individually, weren’t as impactful in a team setup in the Ryder Cup. The big cat has played 37 Ryder Cup matches throughout his career and earned only 14.5 points from them. In six 1-on-1s, he has won four, lost two, and halved two. But his record in foursomes and fourballs is what brings his stats down miserably. In foursomes, Woods holds a record of 4-9-1, and in fourballs, he is 5-10-0.

In fact, Chamblee also believes that Team Europe will reign supreme on American soil for the first time in 13 years. He stated, “I feel like it’s going to be tight. I feel like Europe could win it. The European team has been, strategically, playing a lot of golf over here in the U.S.” Most of the Team Europe players have had some big wins on the PGA Tour recently.

Rory McIlroy’s win at Augusta National was one of the most-watched events of the year. Sepp Straka entertained the fans with two titles. Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland broke their winless streaks in 2025 in front of loud crowds. More recently, Justin Rose also triumphed in the first FedEx Cup playoff at TPC Southwind. And Tommy Fleetwood’s victory in the TOUR Championship was not only celebrated in the golf community in the U.S., but across various sports, platforms, and countries around the world. There is no question that European golfers are quite popular on American soil.

Wingo also agreed with everything Chamblee had to say. To add to that, the host mentioned how Team Europe is also a close-knit group that bonds together and fights for a common goal. That’s when Brandel brought up how they have been able to overpower the Americans since 2012. Speaking of 2012, that was the last time Team Europe won a Ryder Cup that they didn’t host.

Back then, Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald played for the team, and so did Tiger Woods. It was also the last time the Sunday singles matches were exciting, as Europe made a comeback thanks to individual brilliance in match-play contests. So, will Rory McIlroy & Co. reproduce the magic at Bethpage Black this year against Bradley & Co.?

Well, that depends on the U.S. team, whether they are going to Bethpage as an obligation, as Brandel Chamblee mentioned, or they will be playing with the same hunger as the Europeans, who are traveling across the continent to make history once again after 13 years.