Keegan Bradley reminds you of that kid in school who just wanted to be part of the main group of lads, but no matter how hard he tried, he was never fully accepted as part of the inner circle.
Bradley’s career has felt like that.
Last year’s Ryder Cup rejection would have rocked him to the core but now that he is captain for next year’s edition in Bethpage Black, the marmite American holds all the aces this time.
Bradley had not represented USA in any team competition since the 2014 Ryder Cup and he was convinced he had done enough to make the team last September when the Netflix crew flocked to his house only to be overlooked by Zach Johnson’s frat boys.
Bradley realised the hardest part about the wait is the understanding that it might never come.
Bradley has always said team competitions will define his career and even then his Ryder Cup career is an indictment of his career. He cared during a period where the USA players didn’t.
Again, he wasn’t with the majority.
The 2011 PGA champion boasts a 4-3-0 record in his two Ryder Cup appearances and possesses enough polarising qualities to unite his own fanbase but rile up the opposition.
Bradley made his first appearance for the Stars and Stripes on Thursday, almost exactly ten years since his last bow and he certainly made up for it.
Bradley still has so much pent up pain and energy from Medinah that he can’t bring himself to open his suitcase from that week but the suitcase inside him exploded at the Presidents Cup.
His ten footer for the win still had some mileage to cover as he raised his hands in celebration and as the ball disappeared into the cup, ten years of frustration and heartache came rushing out of him.
“It was 10 years of pent up energy, it looks like, of not playing these,” Bradley said. “I just had such a blast out there today. It’s really fun for me to be out here with these guys. I told Wyndham on 17 or 18 just how much I missed being out here and doing this.”
The big storyline heading into this week in Montreal and especially after day one was how relevant is the Presidents Cup? After USA completed a clean sweep 5-0 fourball win over the International side as they chase a thirteenth victory in fifteen contests.
For Bradley, this week means the world.
“This morning when I heard the National Anthem and I was seeing the boys getting ready, I was really emotional,” Bradley said. “It really took me by surprise. There’s been a few times this week where I’ve been emotional about this week. I’ve said I didn’t—there was a point in my life I never thought I’d get to do this again.”
European Ryder Cup success is often built on emotion, the love for the event. It’s something we count on this side of the Atlantic, Bradley, even in his absence is still the closest thing the Americans have to that.
He formed an intimidating partnership with Phil Mickelson in 2012 and he was the heartbeat of the US team even if they were left broken hearted by the end of it.
In a world where golf is becoming less appealing, Bradley offers himself as a character that is worth both loving and hating which is what makes him ideal for team golf.
An extremely intense character whose celebrations borderline on the extreme. Europe have had it with Poulter and Bradley ten years on from his last roar is still that man for the US.
The story of American golf has been Scottie Scheffler’s dominance across the PGA Tour and Xander Schauffele’s two major wins, but perhaps the biggest underlying success story of the season has been Bradley’s return to form. You wouldn’t dare rule him out as a playing Ryder Cup captain.
“This was special, man,” Bradley said moments after his final putt dropped. “I don’t take these weeks for granted anymore. I’m kind of speechless. It was just amazing.”
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