Of course it came down to Keegan Bradley.
It wasn’t that the result of the Presidents Cup was in doubt Sunday afternoon at Royal Montreal Golf Club – the Americans’ 18½-11½ victory over the Internationals didn’t go deep on suspense – but there was the question of who would secure the clinching point.
It fell to Bradley, the next American Ryder Cup captain who played his way onto Jim Furyk’s roster at what felt like the last possible moment last month when he won the BMW Championship seemingly out of nowhere.
Bradley had been invited to be one of Furyk’s vice captains to better prepare himself for his responsibilities at Bethpage Black next fall, but he surrendered those duties when he made the team.
Late Sunday afternoon, as the American red numbers continued to accumulate on the Presidents Cup scoreboards, Bradley won the clinching point with his 1-up singles victory over Si Woo Kim.
“Wow, that was incredible. I was saying all week I didn’t know if I’d ever get to do this again. To just play in this tournament and then to win the point, my goodness. The last time I played, I was the point to lose the Ryder Cup,” said Bradley, referencing the 2014 Ryder Cup.
“If this is my last round as a player, maybe it is, I’m happy with that.”
“I was walking around the locker room today trying not to throw up, I was so nervous. I’m proud of the way I played today.”
Keegan Bradley
There is the potential for Bradley to play his way onto his Ryder Cup roster next fall, but that’s down the road. He has already declared that he would have to be an automatic qualifier to play at Bethpage Black.
Being in the arena again, playing for his country, has driven Bradley for a decade.
“This is what I missed. To be honest with you, I’ve never been part of a better room than this. It makes it that much more special. I was walking around the locker room today trying not to throw up, I was so nervous. I’m proud of the way I played today,” Bradley said.
Bradley posted a 2-1 record at Royal Montreal Golf Club, adding to the Americans’ dominance that was led by Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay, each of whom went 4-1. Sam Burns won 3½ points, and Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley won three points each.
By contrast, Christiaan Bezuidenhout was the only International player to post a winning record, going 2-1. After playing the same eight players in both sessions Saturday and winning just two of eight matches, International captain Mike Weir saw those players win just two of their eight singles matches on Sunday, a decision that drew immediate scrutiny.
Bradley, meanwhile, paid close attention to how Furyk handled the 12-player roster, filing away the experience to help guide him in New York next year.
“What Jim did with the team room, what he did with team meetings, what he did with the pairings, what he did on Sunday through Wednesday, having us play matches against each other, you’re not going to find a tougher match than within our own team. It’s like when the Patriots practice against their defense back in the day. You’re going to sharpen yourself there,” said Bradley, a native of New England.
“I gained a knowledge of the team room. You always hear about the U.S. team room not being whatever, and this is the most – the greatest team room I’ve ever been a part of. It’s the first time I’ve been on one of these where I’ve really, truly felt like I belonged on the team.”
Ron Green Jr.