Since 2023, Keegan Bradley has been riding an emotional rollercoaster. That year, he received a heartbreaking call from Zach Johnson, informing him he had been left off from the U.S. Ryder Cup team. But just a year later, the phone rang again—this time with much better news. Johnson informed Bradley that he would be captaining Team USA at the 2025 Ryder Cup. Amid the ups and downs, another turning point came when the TGL by Tiger Woods finally made him feel like a true athlete for the first time.

Recently, Keegan Bradley and Akshay Bhatia were on the Subpar podcast with Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz as hosts. While they talked about a lot of things, Bradley also shared his experience of playing the first edition of TGL. “I loved it, we were going in the first match, had no clue if this thing was gonna work. We could have teed up like, This is not working, this is choppy. It exceeded all of our expectations,” he started with.

It not only exceeded Bradley’s expectations but also made him feel like a real athlete. To this he added, “I loved being an athlete, where I gave my kids a hug, went to the arena came back home. I felt like a real athlete for once in my life.” Small things like this make the golfer’s experience even better.

Keegan Bradley turned pro back in 2008. Throughout his career, he has won seven titles on the PGA Tour. In 2025, he’s also taking the helm as captain of Team USA at the Ryder Cup. But despite all of that, it was the TGL that truly gave him the athletic thrill. The golfer also went into the details of what gave him this feeling.

“Driving to the arena, parking my car. It was fun. Changing clothes. Being in the locker room with our team right before. Even though this was a sort of lighter feel. When the lights come on and you’re playing against another player, it gets serious real quickly. So when we are in the locker room and it’s quiet and we are like, ‘alright guys let’s get this’, I loved that. That’s what I enjoyed the most, “ added Keegan Bradley.

The 2025 Ryder Cup captain played for Boston Common Golf in TGL alongside Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, and Hideki Matsuyama. Even though his team was unable to win any matches at the SoFi Centre, it was still worthwhile for him. As for the PGA Tour, although it didn’t give him the athletic feel, they sure changed his mind.

Keegan Bradley saw “everybody as the enemy”

Back in 200, when Bradley first came to the PGA Tour, he found himself in somewhat no man’s land and was unable to mesh in. Talking about it, he said, “When I first came on tour, I looked at everybody as the enemy. Like, I would make things up in my head. I would think this guy thinks I stink, blah, blah, blah. These guys are all buddies, and they root for each other.” However, as he spent time on the tour, the new generation of golfers changed his mind. He now notices how golfers support one another and build friendships both on and off the course—something he’s only recently started to embrace himself.

“I felt like being friendly with somebody would be a disadvantage, and I just think this group of guys and the way they go about their careers is so great. It’s so refreshing for me to see, and I love it,” added the 38-year-old. Back in 2024, Keegan Bradley had a similar kind of thought ahead of the Tour Championship. At that time, he admitted that he was afraid that making friends would somehow hurt him. However, as time passed, the golfer was able to overcome this fear and now also focuses on building relationships on the PGA Tour. Thanks to all this, he now enjoys playing on the PGA Tour. “I actually, I actually think I like preparing more than I like playing now,” he added. At the same time, things are tough for him considering his hectic schedule.

What do you think about Keegan Bradley’s thoughts on the new generation of golfers? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!