It seems fitting Keegan Bradley sealed the deal for the United States at the 2024 Presidents Cup.
In 2023, Bradley was snubbed from the Ryder Cup roster and it appeared he would never play in team competition again. Now, he’s one of the main reasons the U.S. has secured its 10th straight Presidents Cup.
On Sunday at Royal Montreal Golf Club, Bradley earned the clinching point over South Korean Si Woo Kim with a 1-up victory.
“Wow, that was incredible,” Bradley told NBC Sports following the match. “I was saying all week I didn’t know if I would get to do this again. To play in this tournament and then win the point, my goodness, the last time I played, I was the point to lose the Ryder Cup.”
Bradley last played in the Ryder Cup in 2014 and hadn’t participated in the Presidents Cup since 2013. Although he won the BMW Championship in August, The Athletic’s Hugh Kellenberger and Brody Miller noted the No. 13-ranked player in the world was a “left-field pick” as a captain assistant for Jim Furyk.
Bradley probably proved he belonged at the tournament, though. According to Jack Milko of SB Nation’s Playing Through, Bradley only played in three matches but won two.
Overall, it was a commanding victory for the U.S., which entered Sunday with an 11-7 lead over the Internationals and only needed 4.5 points to win. The Americans birdied 15 of their first 31 holes in their singles matches, which gave them a huge lead that the International squad failed to overcome.
The U.S. has a 13-1-1 record at the Presidents Cup and will hope to parlay this success into the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in Old Bethpage, New York. Bradley — who will serve as a captain at the event — played college golf at St. John’s University in nearby Queens, possibly providing an upper hand for the Americans.
If Bradley and company win the Ryder Cup on their home soil, that would cap off a remarkable career resurgence for the 38-year-old.