Whether it’s in the Ryder Cup or any other individual event, Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald have never had the opportunity to be on the same side. But that doesn’t mean they don’t share mutual respect for one another. And that only grew after each of them led their respective sides at Bethpage for an intense Ryder Cup contest. While they might not always have the same opinion, they still don’t shy away from acknowledging each other’s efforts. That’s exactly what Donald did just a couple of hours ago when he shared a special post dedicated to Bradley.

Sharing a picture of them from Bethpage, Luke sent a beautiful message to Keegan. The caption read, “I want to take a moment to thank my friend and opposing Captain, Keegan. As I said in my opening ceremony speech last week, I have really valued our friendship over the years and that bond will last well beyond Ryder Cup week. Our Captaincy journey and the contest between our two teams will give us memories that we will continue to look back on together for many years to come.”

Despite the result, there is no doubt that both captains put on an emphatic strategic effort to help their team succeed. While Bradley may have slightly fallen short on Sunday, despite an outstanding comeback from the American side, he still knew where his team’s strengths were and encouraged them not to give up. That was the driving force behind Team U.S.’s going for one last push to try to steal the 45th Ryder Cup title from the Europeans. And Luke Donald couldn’t help but appreciate it.

“I watched Keegan closely last week and in the build-up. His passion and love for this event, and for his country, is undeniable. The Sunday charge his players made showed just how much they wanted to win for him, and that says everything about the respect they have for their Captain. Unless you’ve walked into that arena, it’s impossible to fully understand the pressures that come with being Captain. He has my full respect, as well as my friendship.”

After the effort from Scottie Scheffler & Co. in the Singles matches, it was evident that Keegan Bradley’s side was in no mood to give up. After going 11½ to 4½ down in two days, that sort of comeback requires a lot of motivation and some serious team management. Hence, the Team U.S. captain’s leadership is certainly commendable in the situation. It may have been an impossible dream to achieve, but for a moment, Bradley made everyone believe that it could still be possible. Interestingly, despite all the differences between them, the 39-year-old had also acknowledged that Donald is the best Ryder Cup captain in history. That shows how much respect they share for each other.

Having said that, Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald didn’t look eye-to-eye over everything at Bethpage. Especially when it came to the envelope rule debate. Let’s see how they had conflicting opinions about the controversial rule that got both teams ½ a point even before the Sunday Singles began.

Despite respecting each other, Luke Donald & Keegan Bradley don’t agree on everything

On Saturday, Matt Fitzpatrick was ready to step out with Viktor Hovland for their Fourball match against Sam Burns & Patrick Cantlay. However, moments before their tee off, reports came in revealing that the Norwegian had sustained a neck injury that had essentially ruled him out of the match for the day. Tyrrell Hatton replaced him and teamed up with Fitzpatrick to win a point for Team Europe. However, Keegan Bradley feared that Hovland’s injury would force Team U.S. to enforce the envelope rule on Sunday to withdraw one of their players from competition.

That is exactly what happened, and Harris English was pulled out of the competition in the end. Both teams shared ½ a point, and Bradley was not happy about it. “The rule has to change,” he said, suggesting that it needs to be done before the 2027 Ryder Cup. Luke Donald wasn’t going to let that slide as he had an appropriate response ready for the Team U.S. leader. “I think it’s been in place since 1971. The U.S. has used it before. The rule is the rule, and it’s been in place for a long time,” said the Englishman, suggesting that the Americans didn’t have any problem with the rule when it benefited them. So their complaint about it, just when it got inconvenient for them, seems unjust.