For Keegan Bradley, the last few years have been nothing but dramatic. In 2023, he received a devastating phone call from Zach Johnson that confirmed his snub from the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Skip to the next year, and Johnson once again hit the American golfer, but this time with good news. “I was getting ready to deliver a bomb,” said Johnson in Full Swing 2. But Keegan Bradley’s happy news was going to be shared with the whole golf world, including his fellow Tour players.

Speaking on the latest episode of Golf’s Subpar on Spotify, Keegan Bradley shared a lighthearted take on his new role as Ryder Cup captain, revealing that PGA Tour pros have been “b**t-kissing” him since taking the helm. Bradley joked that some players suddenly want to be his best friend, with one player even hugging him after 15 years of barely speaking. “Yeah. I had one player come and give me a hug that I hadn’t talked to in 15 years on the tour when it first happened.” While we don’t have any details regarding this one player, we will wait for Bradley to reveal his name in the coming days. When asked if he was being sweet-talked by his golfers, Keegan Bradley couldn’t help but chuckle and agree, “There’s certainly some.”

Despite the extra attention, Bradley seems to be taking it in stride, enjoying the opportunity to get to know players like Akshay Bhatia, who could potentially be on the team. “And I’ve gotten to know players like Akshay and other players that are potentially going to be on the team. And it’s something that I’ve really enjoyed,” Bradley said.

But the golf fans couldn’t help but assume that, being the U.S. team’s Ryder Cup captain, Bradley probably witnesses “auditions” of golfers trying to make it on the team. However, despite his light-hearted approach so far, Bradley was quick to dismiss this idea, especially regarding Bhatia. “Akshay is one of the rising stars of the tour, and he didn’t need an audition for me,” Bradley said. “He’s a great player, and I want him to go out there and do his best. His resume speaks for itself.” Bradley’s relaxed approach to captaincy has allowed him to focus on what really matters—building relationships with his players and helping them perform at their best.

In his 6 years of turning pro, Bhatia has won twice on the PGA Tour. His latest win was the 2024 Valero Texas Open. He has been slowly rising with finishes like T3 at PLAYERS, and runner up finishes at Genesis Invitational and Mexico Open. If Bhatia continues to put forth a resilient show, Bradley might make him a member of the squad for Bethpage.

Bhatia and Bradley also showed a good bond with the latter complimenting his outfit, “Well, Akshay, I want to ask you about last week… you got the Augusta National hoodie that they do not sell in the merch shop at the Masters.” Bhatia rocked an exclusive Augusta National hoodie not sold in the merchandise shop.

When Keegan Bradley’s name was suggested as the U.S. team’s Ryder Cup captain, the PGA of America President John Lindert called him “a slam dunk.” Fans were also shocked to see Bradley being picked as the skipper for the 2025 Ryder Cup.

This is a developing story..