From feeling like an outsider to being the 2025 Ryder Cup Captain, and now to 2024 Presidents Cup Vice Captain, Keegan Bradley has come a long way. The current U.S. Presidents Cup captain, Jim Furyk, decided to give Bradley this opportunity, and recently he made it official. Just like a true golf fan, PGA Tour pro, Justin Thomas was also hoping for this to happen just a few hours before the official announcement came to light.

Recently, Thomas was on the ‘No Laying Up’ podcast. During the conversation, they talked about many things, and Thomas also talked about Bradley and him potentially becoming the assistant captain. The 31-year-old started with, “I watched it with Jill, and I was like, I kind of find myself rooting for Keegan after it’s tough, but I mean, it’s also like, it’s the reality, like Keegan, he, if you put our years against each other like he deserved to be on that team more than I did.” Keegan Bradley turned professional in 2008, while Thomas followed the same path five years later. Given this, Thomas believes Bradley is currently more deserving of serving as an assistant captain.

Last year, Keegan Bradley was heartbroken when he did not make it to the Ryder Cup team. He was expecting a happy phone call from Zach Johnson, but rather he received the one that crashed his world. The golf world was infuriated at the pick, more so because JT made it to Italy despite playing very subpar golf. The community lashed out at the 2023 Ryder Cup’s American skipper and called him out for not making a decision that could have benefited the team.

After making the joyful announcement, Furyk revealed to Golf Digest that he called Bradley and asked whether he was up for the opportunity. The 38-year-old excitedly accepted the offer as Furyk said, “He’s fired up. He’s definitely excited; I love the energy, and he brings a lot to the table.” The captain further talked about his reason and said, “I left two spots open, and I sort of had plans how to use them, but with Keegan’s appointment to the Ryder Cup, this felt like something that would benefit both U.S. teams.” 

The decision however does not come out of the blue as Furyk revealed a few days ago that he has “always had in the back of my mind to keep a spot open for whoever would be named the Ryder Cup captain.” Keegan Bradley will now join the likes of Stewart Cink, Justin Leonard, and Kevin Kisner as assistant captains to Jim Furyk. The tournament will commence from September 27 to 29, and the US team will battle against the international team at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Canada. Interestingly, this is the second significant milestone that Bradley has achieved in just past couple of months.

Keegan Bradley became the youngest Ryder Cup captain

Earlier in July, Bradley was announced as Team USA’s 2025 Ryder Cup captain, a surprise to many who expected Tiger Woods to take the role. But the 15x major winner declined the role stating that he would not be able to do justice to it. Keegan Bradley has made two appearances at the Ryder Cup in 2012 and 2014. While his last two appearances were as a player, he will be making his third appearance as captain next year. Interestingly, he is now one of the youngest captains to lead a team at the tournament since Arnold Palmer in 1963.

Expressing his excitement because of the opportunity, Bradley said, “I am incredibly honored to accept this opportunity to captain the United States team at the 2025 Ryder Cup,” as revealed on PGA of America. Are you excited to witness Bradley in leadership roles? Let us know in the comments below.