Keegan Bradley has been appointed captain of the US Ryder Cup team.
He replaces previous captain Jack Johnson, who badly overlooked him for last year’s Ryder Cup in Rome.
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Bradley was chosen over leading candidates Fred Couples and Davis Love III.
The news comes after Tiger Woods reportedly turned down the chance to captain the US team.
US sources say the golf legend turned down the PGA’s offer due to his busy schedule.
Woods has been the favorite for the job since the Yanks lost to Luke Donald’s team in Rome last year.
But the first signs of his lack of interest in taking charge at next year’s tournament in New York in September came at the USPGA Championship in March.
The 15-time major champion said he already has a lot of work ahead of him as one of the chief negotiators in the PGA Tour’s peace talks with LIV.
He is believed to have told the PGA he would only take over as Ryder Cup captain if they were willing to restrict the range of duties he would perform.
But the PGA was in no mood to dictate – even if he was one of the greatest golfers of all time.
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Bradley’s captaincy represents a full-circle moment for the American player after he was left out of the squad that played in Rome last year.
He heads into the Ryder Cup in 2023 after a string of impressive performances but misses out on an automatic spot in the team
But previous captain Johnson decided not to pick Bradley, and the moment was immortalised in Netflix’s Full Swing documentary, in which Johnson tells an emotional Bradley: “Hey buddy. Thanks for being patient with me.
“My friend, there’s no easy way to say this, I think it’s best to go in a different direction this year. It doesn’t matter what you did or didn’t do, because you’re amazing on and off the field. I think it’s best to go in a different direction this year.
“I’d like to take 30 people, but I can’t. And just know that I’m so grateful.”
Bradley accepted his snub with great grace and said: “Okay Jack, I understand. I wish you all the best and hope you guys go out there and win.”
The American star has not featured in the Ryder Cup since losing to Europe at Gleneagles in 2014.
He said he had not opened his kit bag since that tournament and would only do so if the United States came calling again.
He said: “That was probably the worst moment of my career (losing the 2014 Ryder Cup), and I would like to change that. When I retire from the game, it will make a huge difference for me to have the Ryder Cup on my resume, winning it versus losing it.
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“I just hope that someday I win the Ryder Cup and open it and have some peace of mind, because I think about the Ryder Cup every second of every day.”
I’ve played all 572 golf courses in Scotland – one of them is the top oneHe will have a final chance at redemption when he leads his team out at Bethpage Black in 2025.
