TROON, Scotland — Keegan Bradley got back to his day job on Monday as a professional golfer after a whirlwind week that saw him announced as the next U.S. Ryder Cup captain.
Bradley went off the first tee at Royal Troon just after 10 a.m. local time Monday with little fanfare, playing a practice round by himself on the links that will host the British Open for 10th time beginning Thursday.
With his caddie Scott Vale, they set about learning the golf course for the final major championship of the year.
“Trying to get back to normal,” Bradley said.
The six-time PGA Tour winner who captured the 2011 PGA Championship arrived Sunday, practiced at the driving range while getting over the jet lag and got onto the course for the first time Monday.
It’s been a hectic yet enjoyable time, Bradley said.
“I still have 150 texts that I haven’t gotten back to,” he said. “Probably got 400 total. I was a little nervous. The reaction has been better than I expected. I’m really excited to do this.”
Bradley, 38, was the surprise choice of the PGA of America to captain the 2025 team at Bethpage Black in New York after Tiger Woods decided against being the captain.
Bradley, who last played in the Ryder Cup in 2014, was on no one’s radar for the job. He said last week during his introductory news conference when the last captain, Zach Johnson, called him to offer the job, it was the first time he had been contacted.
Making the situation more interesting is Bradley’s desire to make his own team. He’s ranked 19th in the world and was in line for a captain’s pick last year that he did not get after winning the Travelers Championship.
“I think everybody would agree to that because he is 38,” said Luke Donald, who has been appointed to a second term as European Ryder Cup captain after last year’s victory in Rome. “He’s 19 in the world and probably still has aspirations to play one or two more Ryder Cups. He’s a phenomenal player still.
“Certainly having gone through the captaincy once, I understand that it takes a lot of work, and it’s very difficult to juggle both of those things.
“But in terms of being a boss ... that’s not really the role of a captain. The captain is to understand and listen to the players, to gain their trust, to make them feel that there’s good communication going on between them, and I don’t see any reason why Keegan can’t fulfill that role.”
Bradley said he spent three days in New York last week as part of the Ryder Cup announcement, and one of the days was used to go to Bethpage Black. “Getting acclimated was good for me,” he said. “The reality of it was starting to set in. I was there for orientation on Monday and going to the course, touring the facility, showing me where the team room is going to be. It was great.”
Bradley reiterated his desire to pick the best players where they play, and while he couldn’t answer specifically how LIV Golf members’ eligibility will sort itself out, he said he’s been told as long as they are members of the PGA of America, there will be no problem.
“And who knows by 2025 where all this stands,” Bradley said about the possibility of a deal between the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and the PGA Tour. “I don’t know anything. I’m in the dark, but I’d be shocked. It’s a year and a half.”
For the moment, Bradley had more immediate concerns. His record at the Open is not great, having missed the cut in his last our ties and with a best finish of a tie for 15th in 2013 at Muirfield.
This year, he has two runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour and is 39th in the FedEx Cup standings.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as One Week After Surprise Ryder Cup News, Keegan Bradley Arrives at British Open.
