With the Ryder Cup coming up in a few days, fans will surely see a fiery showdown at Bethpage Black. But memories will also be made among teammates and rivals that will be cherished for years to come. That has been the norm always, and on that same note, in a recent interview, ex-Ryder Cup captain Stephen Gallacher resurfaced a story from the 2014 edition at Gleneagles: A funny exchange from Lee Westwood that left present-day US captain Keegan Bradley stung.

Gallacher, in a video on the Daily Record, told of a story of a tense moment involving Bradley and Ryder Cup veteran Westwood. At a lavish dinner party inside Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery, players sat along with their family members, recalling the events of the last Ryder Cup.

“I’m sitting next to Keegan Bradley, Westwood sitting over there. We just start getting talking, and Bradley…he says so much. So he says, ‘I’ve got my two suitcases, all my gear, everything…zipped up untouched in my cupboard in my spare room.’ And Westwood looked over and says, ‘I hope you’ve got a big cupboard, by the way, cuz you’ve got two more coming.'”

The 2012 Ryder Cup, also known as the Miracle at Medinah, was a spectacular match between the two teams as it was a rare moment when an away team (in this case, Europe) won on the rival’s turf. Bradley was playing his first event, having been selected as a captain’s pick by Tom Watson, and was clearly bummed out due to Europe’s loss. Westwood’s joke in that case certainly didn’t help. You know, the dry British humor…

“He [Bradley] didn’t really take it very well, right? You know…he went, ‘Ah,’ and I thought, ‘Well done, Westy [Westwood]. That’s one in the ribs straight away,” Gallacher narrates.

Westwood had already played at least seven Ryder Cups by that point, and it was this authority over the game as well as the euphoria of a back-to-back wins that made him say that. Moreover, Europe had won in 2014, too, with a score of 16.5 to 11.5

But to Bradley, it did not land well. That loss at Medinah sort of became a catalyst for Captain America to prove himself in a Ryder Cup.

“During that week, I had some of my best memories coupled with some of my darkest in my golf career,” Bradley recently said while recalling that year.

From the first morning foursomes, Europe had already set the tone. The US team tried to fight back briefly, closing the gap to a single point by Saturday night. But the Europeans came back the next day, dominating towards a victory that will always be remembered. They grounded Team US with a close score of 14.5 to 13.5. This was the last time Europe won on US soil, something current captain Luke Donald will be looking to replicate in the coming days.

Going back to the story, Bradley’s performance might have made him feel extra bad over Westwood’s joke. He was partnered with Phil Mickelson in four-balls, which they won. He was again paired with Mickelson in foursomes, but they lost to Victor Dubuisson & Graeme McDowell (3 & 2). And when it came to singles, he stumbled yet again. Facing Jamie Donaldson, he lost 4 & 3, sealing a record of 1-2-0 for the week. For someone like Bradley, it left a scar.

Even now, he has apparently not opened that Medinah bag. Back in 2023, after he was snubbed from the US Team by Captain Zach Johnson, he revealed in a social media post that the bag from Medinah remains sealed.

“This is my suitcase from the 2012 Ryder Cup that I haven’t opened since that Sunday. I promised myself I wouldn’t open it till I won a Ryder Cup.” Now hearing Gallacher’s story, it looks like it is the same bag!

A unfulfilled promise, which he will be looking to finish in his home turf. “Losing the Ryder Cup at Medinah was one of the worst days of my life. It was too painful at the time for me to open the suitcase”, he told Golfweek recently.

To Bradley, this Ryder Cup arguably matters more than any other player on Bethpage Black. When he was let off in 2023, he had a pretty good season. Hence, Johnson’s decision came as a shock. And if he thought he could complete his dream this year, he was wrong. After Tiger Woods politely passed off the captain duties, Bradley was selected to lead the team. And even then, he kept considering himself and making history as the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer. But he eventually made the “ultimate sacrifice” and decided to remain behind the ropes, cheering for his 12-boy squad.

But through that win, a fair amount of attention will indeed go to that unpacked bag from Medinah. Because you see, it is now an inside joke among the golf world.

Golf insiders can’t wait for Keegan’s bag to be opened.

As much as Keegan Bradley would want to get the win in Bethpage Black, so do the golf nerds out there. And, yes, part of it would be to enjoy the US’s revengeful victory after a brutal loss in Rome, but some of it would be so that Bradley can finally open his bag from Medinah. Let’s be honest, it might be stenching by now.

Van Valkenburg, talking to Andy Johnson on The Fried Egg Golf podcast, shared how this entire Medinah bag of Bradley is a funny lore among the golf nerds. When Bradley came home after his debut Ryder Cup appearance, heavy with the weight of loss, especially on home turf, he was too miserable to unpack his bag. “He’s like, ‘I just can’t…think about looking at all that team uniform stuff and everything. All the feelings…and just how close we were to winning and how embarrassing it is,” Valkenburg shares.

So, the bag was kept there in a corner of his house, waiting for it to be opened. Bradley eventually swore that he would only open the bag when he won a Ryder Cup. Maybe at that time, he thought he would make it to the team the next time, but as we all know, that didn’t happen. He didn’t make the team in the next Cup. He came agonizingly close in 2023, but was snubbed from the opportunity. All this while, the bag is waiting to be opened.

“It became kind of like a little bit of a joke amongst us golf nerds, like ‘Oh, how bad does that suitcase smell, you know.’ And then Keegan, to his credit…he went into his garage and was like, ‘Yep, there’s the suitcase.’ Like, actually still never been unpacked!“

What’s funny is that there might be a champagne bottle from Medinah! No one remembers it exactly, not even Bradley. Well, to his defense, it’s been more than a decade now. But there is a possibility of a champagne bottle, sitting in his bag, that has been kept in a hot garage for years.

“I’m sure that, if they win, there’ll be some sort of joke where Keegan, you know, on Good Morning America or something…rips open that suitcase and, you know, we get to see those musty Madinah uniforms from Ralph Lauren,” laughs Valkenburg.

Well, we will all be excited if that bag ever gets opened. And if it does, Keegan, please don’t drink that champagne.