Keegan Bradley will sit with the Ryder Cup loss for the rest of his life; not our words, but his. Probably the biggest talk of the town this year was Bradley’s captaincy, for all the reasons. Youngest captain? A potential playing captain? A man whose dream has been to win a Ryder Cup because he has a bag that he hasn’t opened yet, since team USA’s defeat in Medinah. Despite all, he lost. And so the question pops up: will it happen again?

The hosts of The Rough Cut Golf Podcast think that he should not. The next Ryder Cup is slated to be held in Adare Manor, Ireland; Team Europe’s home ground. And if Team USA could not win in their own course, then can they redeem themselves as an away team? The answer is probably “no.”

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Ryder Cup captaincy: Too heavy a crown for Keegan Bradley?

“Does he captain at Adare Manor?” Jacob Broadbridge asked. “Oh, maybe that’s what he’s angling for,” chimed Mick Warwick. But Peter Finch paused before replying, “I would say no because I think it sends out a really weird message if you are going to reward success. Or reward failure, should I say? I don’t think he should.” He continued, “He could. And also, you would say, well, who’s who else is going to do it? And you’re going into a Ryder Cup, which you know Europe again are going to be pretty, pretty strong favorites, especially in Ireland. Just imagine those crowds. It’s going to be amazing. So I don’t think he will.”

Their skepticism and blunt response might sound like a criticism, but they’re pretty clear about it. They don’t hate Keegan Bradley. But their doubt, or rather annoyance, stems from the captain’s feelings for the Ryder Cup; which, if you’ve been following now, you would know is a lot.

“I just feel he’s playing up to it a little bit now…I feel like he knows this character he’s got of being kind of this Ryder Cup American representative…I’m getting tired of it. Getting a bit sick of it,” say the hosts.

Bradley has indeed put his heart on his sleeve with his Ryder Cup narrative. He is the youngest American to captain a Ryder Cup after Arnold Palmer in 1963. And, it was his dream to play in one, so he could have been the first playing captain, too, since Palmer. But he decided against it, because in his own words, he “couldn’t do the two jobs together.” But the truth could also be that the critics’ voices were too loud to ignore.

“He shouldn’t have been playing…He couldn’t pick himself,” they said. “All that’s gone. The team that he had didn’t perform for him. It’s the best possible team at the best possible time, in the best possible location — and they still lost.” Team USA had a dramatic comeback on the final day of the event. They were able to win 8.5 points from the singles matches, but that could not help them much. Towards the end, Team Europe maintained their consistency and grabbed their second Ryder Cup in a row (15-13). This was a historic feat for the team as well as captain Luke Donald.

Without a question, the blame fell on Captain Bradley. His decision to repeat an underperforming duo after they’d been crushed 5&4 was labeled “borderline incompetent.” Moreover, he gave controversial takes when European players like Rory McIlroy were heckled by American fans.

All this leads to several murmurs. NBC Sports published a detailed analysis, questioning his captaincy. The conclusion was their uncertainty about his being a competent leader. Interestingly, after Bradley’s recent emotional interview, his odds of captaining in 2027 collapsed dramatically. He dropped from 2/1 favorite to 5/1 in betting markets. Even prominent analyst Brandle Chamblee weighed Bradley’s captaincy skeptically, “No disrespect, but Keegan Bradley is full of passion, and everyone can rally around him. I get that. But he has played in just two Ryder Cups in his career.”

Conversely, teammate JJ Spaun thinks Bradley was a great captain. But that’s just one of the few opinions in his favor. “Just forget about it. Move on. It’s not going to do him any favors hanging on to this kind of stuff now. You know what I mean?” say the hosts on The Rough Cut Golf Podcast to Bradley. But the question remains, if not Keegan Bradley, then who else?

Who should captain Team USA in the 2027 Ryder Cup?

“I think they’ll ask Tiger to do it,” said Mick Warwick from The Rough Cut Golf Podcast.

Tiger Woods indeed remains a favorable choice for the Ryder Cup captaincy. When Keegan Bradley was dropped from the favorites in the betting market, it was he who took that place at 7/2. Joining him was Jim Furyk. In fact, the Ryder Cup captaincy was initially offered to him, but due to a full calendar, Woods passed on the opportunity. That’s how Bradley got it.

But, despite being a GOAT player, Woods does not hold an impressive Ryder Cup record to make a dent in a rival’s course. In 37 matches he’s played, he’s had a score of 12-21-3.

On the other hand, Brandle Chamblee thinks Justin Leonard should get a chance to captain a Ryder Cup. He has played in the event thrice (1997, 1999, and 2008) and has a record of 2-4-6. While it’s a modest one, his dramatic 45-foot putt in 1999 remains iconic.

In the end, whoever becomes the captain, a win in the rival’s course will be a hard one.