No matter what the golf world thinks, Keegan Bradley refuses to consider himself a victim. A lot has been made out of Bradley’s snub at last year’s Ryder Cup. But appearing in the Foreplay podcast, the newly selected Ryder Cup captain made one thing clear: Actually, two things.

One, the Ryder Cup ‘Boys Club’ is a myth. Two, Justin Thomas is a friend.

“They made this big deal into the ‘Boys’ Club’, and this and that. But, you know they are best friends, and they want what’s the best for each other, and they made it out sort of to be that, I wasn’t friends with these guys,” Bradley said in the Foreplay podcast with Dan Rapaport and Sam Riggs Bozoian.

The rumor of Boys Club, an insinuation of a special ‘team-within-a-team’ comprising Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, and others, started during the 2023 Ryder Cup. A few factors amplified it, of course.

First, Bradley was arguably in better shape on the greens than Justin Thomas was. The former U.S. Open champion won twice, while Justin Thomas was going through perhaps his worst career slump. Effectively, when both missed the top-six rankings and had to rely on Zach Johnson for the selection, it boiled down between the two for one spot.

Johnson picked Thomas over Bradley, and the phone call was well documented through the lens of Netflix’s docuseries, Full Swing. Bradley said then, “The reality for me is, I don’t have this connection to that group that a lot of guys have, so I know I have to go play well to get on this team… I’ve always been an outsider in the sport but I have tried to get closer to the guys I thought would be on the team.”

Those words, out in the open when the sixth episode of Full Swing’s season two dropped, seemed to confirm the theory of Hank Haney, Tiger Woods’s former coach. The moment Johnson picked Thomas ahead of Bradley, Haney tweeted, “It didn’t matter who Zach Johnson picked the USA team will be heavily favored but those picks confirm it’s the Boys Club.”

But Bradley refutes any claim of bad blood between him and Justin Thomas. “I’m very friendly with Justin Thomas… I am always pulling so hard for Justin Thomas, just cause I see how hard he prepares. It’s important for people to know that I love these guys.”

May 18, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Justin Thomas shakes hands with Keegan Bradley after they complete their the third round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Valhalla Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Clare Grant-USA TODAY SportsInterestingly, last year, Vice Captain Fred Couples, too, chimed in on the matter. Couples accepted that the fact that Bradley was not ‘tight’ with others had ‘20 percent to do with Johnson’s pick. Keegan Bradley doesn’t totally dispute the notion—that he was sort of an outsider—but he lays the blame on himself. 

Justin Thomas endorsed Keegan Bradley as the captain

Bradley revealed he was ruthless when he came out on Tour. He was young and seemingly followed the old Tiger Woods axiom, ‘second place s**ks’ to the tee. The six-time PGA Tour winner revealed, “When I came out on the tour I was a f**king animal. I didn’t want any friends. Like I didn’t want any friends. I would look at the other players and I would make stuff up in my head.”

Bradley, of course, regrets that. Because now the St. John’s alum realizes that “they are genuine friends; they pull for each other.” Quite true, it would seem. Justin Thomas was one of the first PGA Tour pros to endorse Keegan Bradley as the future captain. Per the Athletic, the two-time major champion was part of the call with PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh when he threw in Bradley’s name.

Thomas and his friend, Jordan Spieth, also on the call, had no hesitation in accepting the 38-year-old as their future leader. Moreover, Thomas also made some telling comments about Keegan Bradley missing the Ryder Cup spot last year.

“I watched it with Jill [Justin Thomas’s wife], 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,” the 15-time PGA Tour winner said in the No Laying Up podcast. All eyes will be on Bethpage Black, where two have a chance to show unity.