Why Team USA’s Ryder Cup issues go beyond Keegan Bradley

Bradley certainly had some questionable moments. The course setup at Bethpage Black wasn’t nearly as tough as many had hoped, and Team Europe seemed pretty happy with how it played.

There were also several pairing choices and roster decisions that raised eyebrows.

Still, when speaking to Grant Horvat, Scottie Scheffler’s caddie Ted Scott said he came away with a positive impression of Bradley’s leadership.

“It was awesome. Keegan was amazing. He was such a great captain. Credit to Team Europe. They just putted unbelievable,” he said.

“For four sessions, at least in our group, against Scottie, statistically this is not even possible what they’re doing. It was amazing.”

2027 Ryder Cup: Why Team USA can’t lean on Sunday’s near-miss

Keegan Bradley has received a lot of support after the Ryder Cup. J.J. Spaun even said he thinks Bradley should stay on as captain for 2027 at Adare Manor.

It makes sense that the team would back him. The PGA of America didn’t exactly set him up for success, and Europe played better over the first two days.

Still, people who expect to be part of the next team need to figure out why things have gone so badly wrong for the Americans, especially when they play away from home.

The worst thing Team USA could do is put too much stock in how close they came on Sunday in New York. Europe only needed one singles win to keep the trophy.

If they head into 2027 thinking they were just a bit unlucky this time, another loss could be waiting for them.