Jim Furyk has revealed that he learned during the most recent Ryder Cup just how superstitious Keegan Bradley is.
Furyk was a key member of Bradley’s backroom team in New York. The 2003 US Open champion was the one assistant with plenty of experience, having captained sides at both the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup.
Unfortunately, it proved to be a difficult week for Bradley. A spirited fightback on the final day meant that the scoreline largely flattered Team USA.
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They became the first home side to lose the Ryder Cup since 2012.
What Jim Furyk realised about Keegan Bradley during the Ryder Cup
Everyone involved who has spoken about the week has lauded Keegan Bradley for how much energy he put into trying to mastermind a victory against the European machine.
And it seems that Bradley was not prepared to leave anything to chance across the week. In fact, it turns out that he put in a strange request when Team USA got off to a poor start on Friday morning, as Jim Furyk told the Fore Play Podcast.
“I learned something about him that week, he is extremely superstitious. The shoes he wears, he’ll change stuff in the middle of the day. I wonder playing, does he, he probably rips through a bunch of gloves. I had no idea what he does. But he was very superstitious through the week. Something was going momentum-wise, we were not changing,” he said.
“I want to say we got off to a bad start, middle of the round, round one, and I remember him saying, ‘you know what, I knew I shouldn’t have worn these shoes’, and he called in to have someone to bring out another pair from his locker. He changed boots first day.”
Keegan Bradley was set up to fail as soon as he was named Ryder Cup captain
It probably comes as no surprise to anyone that Bradley is superstitious. He has a few idiosyncrasies that make him extremely identifiable, not least the way he would often shuffle towards the ball before hitting a shot.
Sadly for Bradley, the change of footwear did little to turn the tide in the Americans’ favour.
Europe won all of the first four sessions over the first two days to take an 11.5-4.5 lead into the singles.
They were able to win just one match on Sunday and ensure that they left Bethpage with the trophy.
In fairness to Bradley, the blame for the loss largely lies with the PGA of America. They made a bizarre move in giving him the captaincy in the first place when it was quite clear that he could make the team as a player.
Bradley played well enough to make the team, but not so well that it was a certainty that he had to play. It is highly likely that any other captain would have selected him.
His desperation to deliver a victory was clear to see. And obviously, he was prepared to try absolutely everything to secure that win.
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