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Team USA captain Keegan Bradley looks on from the first tee prior to play on the first day of competition for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Keegan Bradley's blunders put Team USA in early hole at Ryder Cup

By Jack Dougherty | Last updated Sep 26, 2025 12:35 PM ET

Team USA figured it upgraded at captain after Zach Johnson's debacle at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, but Keegan Bradley isn't off to a great start himself at Bethpage Black. The American captain made multiple blunders in the first foursomes session of the tournament, leading to a 3-1 deficit to the Europeans heading into Friday afternoon.

The most egregious error Bradley made in the morning session was rolling out Collin Morikawa and Harris English to battle Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood. According to Data Golf, the Morikawa-English duo was the worst possible pairing among the 132 options for Team USA, and it showed in the match.

McIlroy and Fleetwood jumped out to a 4-up lead through six holes and never turned back, cruising to a 5 & 4 victory without breaking much of a sweat. Morikawa and English managed only one birdie in the alternate-shot format, and they didn't even reach the 15th hole.

Aside from the brainless pairing, Morikawa never should've been on the course in the first session. The 28-year-old has just one top-15 finish since the Masters in April, and he ranks 115th among active golfers in total strokes gained over the last six months, per Betsperts. Nothing changed on Friday morning at Bethpage.

The mistakes didn't end there for Keegan Bradley, Team USA

Another gaffe from Bradley came in the second match of the first session. Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley represented a fine pairing due to their past success in the Presidents Cup, but the decision to have Scheffler tee off on the even holes in alternate shot was puzzling to say the least.

Henley is the shortest player off the tee in the Ryder Cup field, and the odd holes are much more demanding off the tee than the evens. Due to the poor planning, Scheffler and Henley lost three of the five odd holes on the front 9 and lost, 5 & 3, to Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick.

Misusing the No. 1 player in the world is a catastrophic failure for Bradley. Scheffler is the main reason why Team USA was favored to win the Ryder Cup entering the week, and Bradley wasted his first match.

Keegan Bradley can dig Team USA out of hole with wiser decisions

The Americans find themselves in an early deficit, but Bradley can dig them out of the hole with some wiser decisions moving forward. For one, Morikawa shouldn't see the course until Sunday singles. He's a liability in his current form and doesn't have chemistry with anyone on the roster.

As for Scheffler, he'll be in both fourball sessions due to his birdie-making prowess, but he deserves a better pairing in Saturday's foursomes session. Team USA must win that match, so pair him with a big hitter like Bryson DeChambeau or an elite putter like Ben Griffin to give Scheffler the best chance to succeed.

Going forward, Bradley needs to find out what he has in these rookies. Griffin, J.J. Spaun and Cameron Young sat on the bench in the first session, but they all need to play on Friday afternoon to show what they can contribute.

If Bradley keeps rolling out incompatible pairings and misusing his best players, Team USA will be in major trouble.

Jack Dougherty

Jack Dougherty has been writing professionally since 2015, contributing to publications such as GoPSUSports. com, Centre Daily Times, Associated Press, and Sportscasting. com

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