Russell Henley’s missed putt on the 18th green at Bethpage Black will be remembered, but for all the wrong reasons. With Team USA hanging by a thread, Henley had a chance to deliver a full point for the team and keep the dream alive. But while the sting of that moment still lingers, Russell Henley isn’t hiding from it. Just days after the dust settled, he took to Instagram with a heartfelt message—one that revealed disappointment, but also a show of support for captain Keegan Bradley.

“I’m still trying to process everything from this past weekend,” Henley wrote, alongside a photo of himself alongside Scottie Scheffler during one of their foursomes matches. “My first Ryder Cup was a mixture of amazing moments with my teammates but also bitter disappointment…” the caption continued. Henley’s Sunday singles match against Shane Lowry was, without question, one of the most compelling of the day. Still, for all the focus on Henley’s missed putt or Team USA’s sluggish start, the five-time PGA Tour winner made sure to highlight the effort of the man many are criticizing — Keegan Bradley.

“Keegan and the co-captains did a great job preparing us and put in so much hard work behind the scenes,” Henley wrote. “I am so thankful for their hard work, and it was the honor of my career thus far to play alongside those 11 men,” the message continued.

It is a classy show of solidarity at a time when Bradley’s leadership is being put under the microscope. Bradley has consistently been under the radar for his captain’s picks, his pairings during the Ryder Cup (the infamous duo of Collin Morikawa and Harris English), and his questionable strategic choices.

The scrutiny didn’t stop there. Keith Pelley, former CEO of the DP World Tour, didn’t mince his words when comparing Bradley’s leadership style to Luke Donald‘s. Pelley took a not-so-subtle dig at Bradley’s approach — “You look at all the noise of their captain and whether he was going to play or not. While he was worrying about that, ours was creating a plan that was methodically thought out and looked like he’s executed it flawlessly.”

Pelley, who witnessed Europe’s win firsthand, believes the Americans lacked not just strategy, but cohesion. He pointed out the fundamental difference between the teams was “culture and chemistry.” In the eyes of many, it wasn’t just about missed putts or bad luck. It was about a group that, unlike their rivals, never truly clicked. But despite all the criticism Bradley has endured the past few months, Henley, at least, is standing firmly in his captain’s corner.

But it wasn’t just Bradley who was criticized. Henley’s performance as a rookie and his missed putt on the 18th earned him a lot of criticism over the last few days.

Russell Henley didn’t deserve the constant flak he received for his missed putt

Despite what the results at Bethpage might suggest, Russell Henley’s Ryder Cup debut was far from a disaster. Yes, he went winless in his three matches. And yes, his missed putt on 18 will live rent-free in the minds of American fans for a while. But dig deeper, and you’ll see a player who actually held his own on one of the toughest stages in golf. Henley ranked third among all 12 U.S. players in total strokes gained, and his approach play, in particular, was the showstopper, gaining an impressive 3.2 strokes across the event.

His pairing with Scottie Scheffler, while disappointing on paper, wasn’t without flashes of quality. Their narrow 1-up loss on Saturday to Viktor Hovland and Bob MacIntyre could have gone either way. And in the Sunday singles, Henley played arguably the best round of the entire day—better, in fact, than 20 of the 22 players at Bethpage, according to Data Golf. Unfortunately for him, the only man who played better was the one standing across from him— Shane Lowry.

“Sunday was one of the more special rounds of my life,” Henley wrote in his Instagram post. “Eight birdies in Sunday singles would typically get it done, but Shane matched me eye for eye the entire day. Only fitting that it ended in a tie. I have so much respect for him as a competitor!”

So while the final image is of a putt left short, the full picture is of a gritty, high-level performance from a Ryder Cup rookie who clearly belongs. As Henley put it himself — “I know I’ll come back stronger next year because of this experience.” Based on how he played, no one should doubt it.