The appointment of Keegan Bradley as Ryder Cup captain was a surprise to everyone — including Bradley himself.

The 2011 PGA Championship winner, six-time overall winner on the PGA Tour and two-time Ryder Cup player said he didn’t have any conversations with the PGA of America about the appointment before getting the call. He didn’t even really know he was up for the job.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be more surprised of anything in my entire life,” Bradley said Tuesday when he was formally introduced. “I had no idea. It took a while for it to sink in.”

This a big-time swerve by the PGA of America.

Tiger Woods was expected to be the pick for the United States team in 2025 at Bethpage Black — especially with the team coming off a 16.5- 11.5 loss to Europe in Rome last September. The score was not a clear indicator of the whooping that transpired. But, according to reports, Woods turned down the job. There’s still a chance he is captain in 2027 when the sides return to Europe.

Phil Mickelson was always thought of as a perfect Ryder Cup captain. He was part of 12 Ryder Cup teams, the most in history, as well as being vice captain in 2021. But his move to LIV Golf disqualified him from the honor.

Mickelson, a six-time major champion, commented on Bradley on Wednesday at the LIV Golf Andalucia event in Spain.

“I was surprised at the pick, and I think it’s a great pick the more I think about it,” Mickelson said. “He played a lot of golf at Bethpage when he went to St. John’s. His passion for the Ryder Cup is greater than just about any player I’ve ever seen. His love for the Ryder Cup is more than anybody I know. I think he’s going to lead with that type of passion.”

Bradley and Mickelson were teammates during Ryder Cups and had a 4-1-0 record together.

Bradley was not picked to be part of the 2023 team and his disappointment was documented in Netflix’s “Full Swing.” The 2023 captain, Zach Johnson, passed on Bradley for players like Sam Burns, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. Those picks struggled in Rome.

A phone call in 2024 from Johnson was a lot better than 2023.

“I didn’t have one conversation with anybody about this until I was told I was the captain,” Bradley said. “I got a call from Zach, and I had trouble talking. When they called me, I felt funny after the call because I don’t think I reacted in the way that they were expecting me to. I was in complete shock. It was heavy.”

Why is Bradley the choice now? He’s still playing on the PGA Tour and said he would love to qualify on points to play on the team as well. Arnold Palmer in 1963 was the most recent playing captain.

The PGA of America looks at this as a chance to bond with the younger generation of players. Bradley is 38 years old and has two top-10 finishes this season. He is part of the day-in, day-out grind of the PGA Tour. He gets it.

The last time the Ryder Cup captain went in a different direction was in 2014 when Tom Watson was the leader of the team. That was a disaster and one of the worst American performances in history. That pick changed some things in the selection process. The Bradley pick could be seen as a way to move toward the youth of the game.

“I’m going to say I’m going to take a fresh look at vice captains. They’re going to be a lot younger, closer to playing,” Bradley said. “What’s personally important to me is I would like to have the vice captains set up the future of the Ryder Cup to captain the USA.”

There is also a young crop of players coming up. Players like Nick Dunlap, Jake Knapp and Austin Eckhort have won on tour this season. There is also Neal Shipley, Michael Thorbjornsen and amateur Luke Clanton performing well on the PGA Tour.

The new era is coming.

It won’t be a shock if the U.S. wins at Bethpage in 2025. The Americans usually perform well at home in the Ryder Cup. The final grade will come from the foundation Bradley builds going into 2027 at Adare Manor Golf Course in Ireland. The U.S. has not won in Europe in over 30 years.

The PGA of America could decide to run it back with Bradley in 2027 if everything goes well. Europe is applying that idea with Luke Donald coming back as captain after throttling the U.S in Rome.

Bradley brings passion to the Ryder Cup and other players seem to be excited about the pick.

“Keegan expressed his love for the Ryder Cup publicly, which we all saw, and I’m sure — I haven’t talked to him or seen him yet — but I’m sure he’s over the moon and is going to do a great job,” Xander Schauffele told reporters.

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What they’re saying

“I’m going to have the 12 best players on the team. I don’t care what (or) where they play. So, we’re, we have a mission to win this tournament. I’m not worried about the LIV stuff.”

—Bradley on choosing the 2025 Ryder Cup team

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The Ascendant at TPC Colorado tees off Thursday

The Korn Ferry Tour returns to Colorado this week for the sixth time for The Ascendant played at TPC Colorado in Berthoud.

The tournament begins Thursday and Colorado will be represented in the field.

Former CU golfer Jeremy Paul, who won on the Korn Tour this year, as well as former Air Force Academy player Kyle Westmoreland will be in Berthoud. Westmoreland bounced back and forth between the PGA and Korn Ferry Tour the last couple years.

Kevin Stadler, Sam Saunders and AJ Ott are also playing this week.

Saunders will be part of the first group off the tee at 6:30 a.m. Thursday. The course is set to play at over 8,000 yards.

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