Keegan Bradley said he feared he’d “never get over” Team USA’s close defeat at the 2025 Ryder Cup. His teammate Justin Thomas is still trying to set the record straight about what went wrong.

Two months after the loss at Bethpage Black, Thomas responded to accusations that he blamed the grounds crew for poor green speeds. A turf staffer fired back publicly, claiming the data proved the greens were correct and that Bradley never communicated with them during tournament week. Thomas clarified on Instagram that he never blamed the staff.

“Haha, boy, is this taken out of context! I never once blamed the Bethpage staff; they did an amazing job and did exactly what they were told. I mentioned frustration with whomever Keegan and people spoke to, which (to my knowledge) is not the superintendent and greens crew, more so the PGA and whoever sets up the course. Again, to my knowledge, I don’t think communication is really allowed between the super and the captain, for obvious shady reasons. I could be very wrong though… We got our a___s kicked, there’s no doubt about that, regardless of the course we played!”

The controversy started with Thomas’s appearance on the No Laying Up podcast. He’d expressed confusion about why the greens weren’t the ones Bradley had requested. The grounds crew argued the greens were running at 13 on the Stimpmeter. Thomas and his teammates felt otherwise. He watched staff discuss with the players while putts kept coming up short on television.

A Bethpage turf staffer responded through Rick Golfs’ social media with three pointed criticisms. First, the staffer dismissed player complaints as mere perception, insisting the data proved the greens were correct. Second, the staffer claimed Bradley spoke to the grounds crew only once—weeks before the event—and never during tournament week. Third, the staffer questioned Team USA’s commitment, saying the grounds crew wanted to win more than the players did.

Thomas’s Instagram response shifted the blame entirely. He defended the Bethpage staff, saying they did exactly what they were told. His frustration wasn’t with the people mowing the greens. It was with whoever coordinates course setup at the PGA level—the officials who communicate between captains and superintendents.

Thomas even suggested communication restrictions exist between captains and superintendents for what he called “obvious shady reasons.” He admitted he could be wrong about the protocols. But his message was clear: the grounds crew wasn’t the problem.

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Did Keegan Bradley’s Communication Failures Cost Team USA?

The distinction matters. The staffer accused Thomas of making excuses and blamed Bradley for poor communication. Thomas agreed that Bradley should have communicated better. But he redirected the criticism away from the grounds crew toward the organizational structure governing course setup decisions.

Thomas addressed the fallout previously, noting both teams faced the same conditions and that the Americans simply got outplayed.

 The dispute reveals competing perspectives. The staff relied on Stimpmeter data—objective measurements showing exact green speeds. The players relied on feel—years of professional experience reading how surfaces actually play under pressure. Both sides believed they were right. Neither would budge during the tournament.

Bradley’s communication gap became the focal point. The staffer’s claim that the captain spoke to them only once raises questions about the captain’s preparation. If the greens felt wrong from Friday’s opening matches, why didn’t Bradley address it immediately? Thomas didn’t answer that question. He just made clear the grounds crew shouldn’t take the heat.

His final admission cut through everything else. Team USA got beaten regardless of green speeds, communication breakdowns, or course setup decisions. Europe won 15-13 at Bethpage Black. The Americans mounted a Sunday comeback but couldn’t overcome their early deficit.

Two months later, Thomas is still clarifying his position. The grounds crew remains defiant. Bradley shoulders the blame. The 2026 Ryder Cup in Europe looms. And the explanations keep coming.