Keegan Bradley heard the headlines about Justin Thomas and the greens crew. He could’ve deflected. Instead, he owned it. At the Hero World Challenge, Bradley addressed Thomas’s recent comments about disputes with Bethpage’s grounds staff over green speeds during the 2025 Ryder Cup. The U.S. captain didn’t dodge. He explained.

“Once the tournament starts on the Sunday before the Ryder Cup, we lose control of the golf course,” Bradley said. The home team handed over specifications. The crew delivered. But Bethpage’s flat greens made it nearly impossible to keep pace with the desired pace.

Bradley defended the staff. “They did a great job.” Then he pivoted—sharp and direct. “The Europeans, they just played so great. I wish that we could blame somebody, but we can’t. Blame me.”

No scapegoat. No alibi. Just a captain willing to absorb the loss rather than point fingers at a grounds crew doing their job.

The controversy started when Justin Thomas recently claimed the grounds crew argued with players about green speeds. Speaking on the No Laying Up podcast, Thomas said Bradley had requested greens running at 13 on the Stimpmeter—championship speed—but the crew insisted they’d delivered despite what players were seeing on the course.

The Bethpage staff fired back hard, claiming their data proved the greens were correct and accusing the American team of making excuses two months after the loss. And, Bradley’s response at the Hero presser offered rare insight into the operational reality behind the scenes. The moment the tournament officially starts—the Sunday before the Ryder Cup—the home captain loses control of the golf course. Specifications get handed over. Communication becomes limited.

“It’s so difficult to figure out,” Bradley said. “There’s so much going on and you want the greens at a certain speed and they’re telling you that they are. You’ve got to take their word for it.”

Then came the technical challenge: Bethpage’s famously flat greens. Even at 13 on the Stimpmeter, flat surfaces don’t deliver the same perceived speed as contoured greens. What reads as fast on a measurement tool can feel sluggish under tournament pressure.

“The greens are so flat that it’s difficult I think to get the pace that we were looking for,” Bradley explained. “But the course was in great shape.”

Top Stories

Sir Nick Faldo Claims Rory McIlroy’s Major-Winning Days Are Over

Golf Veteran, 90, Pays Emotional Tribute to Fuzzy Zoeller Days After His Passing

Justin Thomas Still Disturbed by Rory McIlroy’s Ryder Cup Ordeal, Blames PGA of America

Cameron Smith Feels Defeated as Pressure Mounts Ahead of 2025 Australian Open

The Real Reason Golfer Rejected PGA Tour Card for LIV Return Comes to Surface

Keegan Bradley redirects blame: ‘The Europeans just played so great’

Bradley could’ve leaned into the greens narrative. He didn’t. Instead, he redirected the conversation to what actually decided the 2025 Ryder Cup: Europe simply outplayed the United States. The final score—15-13—reflected a Sunday surge that came too late to overcome Friday and Saturday’s collapse.

“The Europeans, they just played so great,” Bradley said. “I wish that we could blame somebody, but we can’t.”

Then came the line that defined his accountability: “Blame me, I blame myself for that loss. It would be nice to blame that but we can’t.”

It’s the kind of leadership move that either earns respect or gets dismissed as performative. But Bradley’s tone suggested genuine weight—this loss still sits with him. Earlier in the presser, he admitted the Ryder Cup defeat left him with “a gaping hole” in his career that he may never fill.

The greens debate, for all its technical complexity and behind-the-scenes friction, ultimately served as a distraction from the larger truth. Europe dominated because they putted better, managed pressure better, and executed better across two critical days.

Bradley knows it. He’s accepted it. And two months later, he’s still carrying it.