Keegan Bradley explains what he was telling his wife about his Presidents Cup team-mates

Keegan Bradley was taken aback by the level of camaraderie in Team USA at the President Cup – and couldn’t stop telling his wife. Bradley, who will captain his country at next year’s Ryder Cup, secured the winning point as the US defeated the International team 18.5-11.5 in Montreal.

It was Bradley’s first taste of team golf since his appearance at the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, which Europe won 16.5 to 11.5. Since then, there have been rumours of tension and discord in the US team.

However, Bradley saw no sign of that in Canada as part of a team which could be very similar to the Ryder Cup side which takes on Europe at Bethpage Black next September. In fact, he insisted the vibe within the team could not have been better.

“I had sort of heard the team room wasn’t great,” said Bradley, per mancon.com. “[But it was] head and shoulders better than any team room I’ve ever been in. I can’t imagine a better one.

“These guys are all legit friends. Not PGA Tour friends, they’re ‘we’re- going-on-vacation-for-a-week-type friends’. Their wives are friends. The wives all get along. The caddies are all friends.

“There are two, three four layers of this being close. The coaches are all friends. It’s really special. I was telling my wife [Jillian] every day. I just couldn’t believe it. It shocked me. These guys really care for each other.”

However, the experience made him realise he is unlikely to be able to combine captaincy duties with playing at the Ryder Cup, if he qualifies. Veteran Jim Furyk led the US team at the Presidents Cup.

Bradley said: “After going through it, I don’t know if I can, honestly. I couldn’t imagine doing Jim’s job and playing. I don’t know how you can physically do it.

“I will have great assistant captains. Brandt [Snedker, who was an assistant in Montreal] will be one of them. I’m going to cross that bridge. And I’ll have to do some special stuff to get on that team.”

There could be some high-profile additions to the US Ryder Cup team after the PGA ended its ban on LIV Golf players taking part. That opens the door to the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, although the latter did play in 2023 as a captain’s pick.

“To ensure the PGA Championship will continue to deliver the strongest field in golf and that the US Ryder Cup team will continue to have access to the best American players, the PGA of America has determined that LIV Golf players will be eligible for both," said the PGA of America.