Xander Schauffele at this week’s 2024 Genesis Scottish Open.
Getty Pictures
It wasn’t simply golf followers and media caught off guard by Wednesday’s announcement of Keegan Bradley as 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain at Bethpage Black.
“Yeah, it’s stunning,” Xander Schauffele stated on Tuesday on the Genesis Scottish Open, turning into basically the primary 2023 Ryder Cup participant to touch upon the most recent captain. “You usually count on somebody that’s slightly bit older to get chosen as a captain. I feel lots of people had been banking on Tiger to do it. He clearly has lots on his plate. So Keegan expressed his love for the Ryder Cup publicly, which all of us noticed. I haven’t talked to him or seen him but, however I’m certain he’s over the moon and goes to do an amazing job.”
Final 12 months, Bradley was a possible captain’s choose however was one of many first gamers left off the staff. Netflix’s “Full Swing” captured the moments Bradley, along with his spouse, Jillian, came upon he wasn’t chosen. As somebody who had lengthy been vocal about how a lot the occasion meant to him, he was crushed.
“I take into consideration the Ryder Cup each second I’m awake, principally,” Bradley stated, weeks earlier than the 2023 staff was introduced. “My greatest factor proper now could be attempting not to consider it whereas I’m taking part in as a result of it’s that essential to me.”
Bradley, 38, performed in two Ryder Cups, each losses in 2012 and 2014, and has a profession file of 4-3 within the occasion. He was a high-energy participant in these Cups — and nonetheless is at the moment on Tour — though Schauffele stated he’s not at all times like that exterior the ropes.
“He’s so laid again off the course,” Schauffele stated. “In case you get him in like a dinner setting or one thing, he loves sports activities. He’ll discuss sports activities all night time lengthy when you like. He’s a really passionate particular person. On the course, he’s intense. That’s simply how he competes and the way he’s. I’m certain as a captain he’s going to have form of a combined bag. He received’t be afraid and can get everybody going. I don’t know if he’s coached or captained some other groups in his life, whether or not it’s his children’ groups or one thing like that, however when somebody is de facto enthusiastic about one thing, they often do very well.”
Though, in accordance with Schauffele, there are specific issues a captain can do to make life simpler on the staff. For starters, he stated, he hopes Bradley cuts down on all of the compulsory Ryder Cup pomp and circumstance.
“Taking a bunch of images all dressed up. I’d be the primary man that I have to flee rapidly. It simply looks as if it’s all these little, even like staff dinners or issues of that nature, we will have them form of fast and inside versus having to exit, costume up and all these issues,” Schauffele stated. “It’s simply small issues. I feel there’s two or three dinners that we’ve got to go to which can be sort of mandatory-ish, and I feel if we reduce it down to 1 or two versus three that might be a very large deal.
“I don’t costume up and exit to dinner,” he continued. “I play 24 occasions, and I don’t suppose I costume up and go to 1 dinner in all these 24 occasions. Plus my spouse, she’s superb, possibly for an anniversary or one thing like that. She is aware of once I’m right here, it’s to maintain my head down and compete and that’s what I attempt to do.”
Captain Bradley already has his first suggestion.
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