A Tale of Two Captains: Comparing the Ryder Cup Choices of Luke Donald and Keegan Bradley
With the announcement of Luke Donald as the European Team captain and Keegan Bradley as the Team USA captain for the upcoming 2025 Ryder Cup, the golf world eagerly anticipates the strategic decisions and leadership styles each will bring to the table. Both accomplished players in their own right, Donald and Bradley face the monumental task of guiding their teams to victory in one of the most fiercely contested events in golf. Months will be spent opining on potential strategies, pairings, and tactics, but before all of that, we must first compare and contrast their respective anointing as captain for their squads.
In the case of Donald, his repeat selection to helm Team Europe was as much earned as it was unsurprising. He served as Option B in the 2023 Rome matches after initial captain Henrik Stenson defected to LIV Golf, thus “surrendering” his captaincy in the process. Donald’s window to corral and finalize a roster of players who, on paper, appeared to be underdogs to an American squad was narrow. The eventual performance of his victorious team provided more than enough validation that Donald could rise to the occasion, securing his back-to-back captaincy likelihood months ago.
Choosing Bradley to lead Team USA, on the other hand, is a curious choice at best and an overcorrection at its worst. It was a shock to everyone, including Bradley himself. Social media reaction has been mixed, spanning a spectrum that can be summarized as suggesting “he’s a great guy for sure, but we all really know why Keegan was chosen.” His appearance on the Netflix docu-series Full Swing showed viewers how crushing Bradley’s exclusion from the Rome team — lead by eventual pariah Zach Johnson — impacted him mentally and emotionally. Team USA’s eventual defeat served to fan the flames of speculation on whether Johnson’s captain pick of Justin Thomas was due to an ominous Boy’s Club mentality.
Neither Donald nor Bradley had to interview for the role. One man clearly earned it, while the other… kind of did?
There’s no doubt that Bradley’s career has been illustrious to a degree. He’s a former major winner, two-time Ryder Cupper, and holds six PGA TOUR victories. At 38-years old, he also has a lot of gas left in the tank to add to those numbers. But none of this equates to a “for sure” choice as Ryder Cup captain, especially one that doesn’t require an interview process.
The biggest irony of Bradley’s selection is that it appears as if he’s suddenly part of the very machine that kept him off the most recent USA team. While he’s not eating lunch at Zach Johnson’s house on the regular (I would assume), the fact that Johnson himself delivered the captaincy news to Bradley leads me to believe this is one big apology tour of sorts. A way to right a perceived wrong in the wake of an embarrassing defeat.
But it’s even worse than that, because Bradley wasn’t the first choice.
Reports also suggest that Tiger Woods, who was the favorite to be named captain all along, was initially offered the position before turning it down. Further speculation suggests his declination could be due to longtime friend Seth Waugh essentially being “let go” by the PGA of America; the very organization that co-leads the Ryder Cup matches. Woods is nothing if not loyal to his circle, making this speculation that much more believable.
If true, Bradley now finds himself in a similar position Donald was in but for very different reasons: Option B.
Early on, Bradley has reacted the best way possible and has said the best things he can. Admitting his surprise to reporters at the official announcement press conference adds to his wholesomeness and positive persona. Similarly, Donald’s humble reactions to being re-named Euro Captain adds to his highly likable nature. All things considered, these are two of the nicest guys in the game. No one can objectively argue otherwise.
It’s also perhaps the reason why it feels like one guy is being rewarded while the other is being used.
