Keegan Bradley’s Team USA got off to a slow start at the 2025 Ryder Cup, but he’s sticking to his plan despite early criticism.
The Americans came close to being swept in the morning foursomes, with pairings that didn’t seem to match up well compared to Europe’s more established lineup. They lost three out of four matches convincingly but managed to salvage a point with a win in the final match.
READ MORE: Tommy Fleetwood delighted as USA stars Scheffler and DeChambeau fail to score
One bright spot was Bradley’s decision to play Justin Thomas in fourball. Despite struggling alongside Bryson DeChambeau earlier in the day, Thomas bounced back and teamed up with local favourite Cameron Young for an important win.
However, after seeing Saturday’s lineups, it seemed less like a stroke of genius and more like a stubborn call. One pairing that took plenty of heat from Friday was Collin Morikawa and Harris English. Even after their loss, Bradley kept them together for Saturday’s round.
Keegan Bradley stands by his choice of Collin Morikawa and Harris English
Bradley’s pairing of Morikawa and English came in dead last, 132nd out of 132 possible foursomes combinations at the Ryder Cup, according to Data Golf.
McIlroy and Fleetwood, already a proven pair from Rome, had little trouble taking them down 5&4. The match was never really close.
But instead of making a change, Bradley stuck with the same duo for Saturday’s session, putting them up against Fleetwood Mac once again.
Bradley defended the decision despite being three points down after Friday. “We have a plan of what we’re going to do,” he said. “They beat us today, but you know, we’re really comfortable with our plan.”
“We’re really comfortable with those two players. Excited by who they are playing tomorrow.
“It will be an exciting match, and we’re sticking to our plan. We’re not going to panic. We’re not going to panic and make those sort of mistakes. We’re going to stick to what we know. We have a lot of confidence in them.”
When asked if the pairing was chosen based on analytics or just gut feeling, he replied: “I would say it’s a little bit of both. They were really bummed out that they lost their match today.
“They were eager to get back out on the course, and that’s why we did that.”
If it works out, he’ll look like he knew something everyone else missed. If not, questions about his unwillingness to adapt will only grow louder.
Bradley’s selection of Morikawa and English pairing under scrutiny
According to Data Golf, the pairing of Morikawa and English ranked 132nd out of all possible foursomes combinations at the Ryder Cup.
Predictably, their match didn’t go well. Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, Europe’s top pairing from Rome, won 5&4 in a one-sided contest.
Did Bradley take that as a sign to change things up? Apparently not. He put the same duo out again on Saturday against Donald’s “Fleetwood Mac” pair.
Bradley stood by his decision even with his team down three points after Friday. “We have a plan of what we’re going to do. They beat us today, but you know, we’re really comfortable with our plan,” he said.
“We’re really comfortable with those two players. Excited by who they are playing tomorrow.”
“It will be an exciting match, and we’re sticking to our plan. We’re not going to panic. We’re not going to panic and make those sort of mistakes. We’re going to stick to what we know. We have a lot of confidence in them.”
When asked if his choice was data-driven or based on instinct, he replied: “I would say it’s a little bit of both. They were really bummed out that they lost their match today. They were eager to get back out on the course, and that’s why we did that.”
This is the kind of call that can either look inspired or questionable depending on how things play out, but more and more it seems Bradley is simply inflexible and unwilling to adapt on the fly.
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