Keegan Bradley Adds Exclamation Point to U.S. Day 1 Sweep at Presidents Cup

The oldest player on the U.S. team clinched the final point in a 5–0 day, recapturing the feelings of team play from a decade prior.

Keegan Bradley's birdie putt at the 18th Thursday completed a U.S. sweep of Day 1 at the Presidents Cup. / Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

MONTREAL — Keegan Bradley celebrated his birdie putt on the 18th hole as if it won him a tournament. He fist-pumped and raised his arms and gave a chest bump to his playing partner, Wyndham Clark.

There were 10 years of frustration and anticipation that led to that emotion, and even though it simply clinched a match and a whopping 5-0 lead for the United States over the International Team in the Presidents Cup, it also showed how much this means to Bradley.

WHAT A PUTT!

A dominant 5-0 session for the U.S. Team is capped off by @Keegan_Bradley's emphatic walk-off winner. pic.twitter.com/0OtyMS49Ui

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 26, 2024

Infamously left off last year’s U.S. Ryder Cup team, Bradley, 38, is the oldest player on this U.S. Presidents Cup team and was one of captain Jim Furyk’s at-large picks after originally being slated to be an assistant captain this week.

He was the surprise pick in July to be the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain.

Already, Bradley has had an emotional week.

“I really took for granted having Phil (Mickelson) as my partner every year,” Bradley said of his previous team experiences from 2012-14. “What an unbelievable thing that is for a young player like me. I get to go out, play with one of the greatest players to ever touch a golf club, and I sort of became—it was a norm for me.

“I didn't have to go through the early week, who's my partner, what ball am I going to hit, am I going to play this match, who's it going to be with. I just had to show up and play. I'm really thankful for Phil for that.”

Bradley played in two Ryder Cups and one Presidents Cup prior to this week. In each of the nine matches he played (12 in all) with a teammate, Mickelson was his partner.

They went 3–0 at Medinah in 2012, the year the U.S. blew a 10–6 lead and lost in excruciating fashion, 14½ to 13½. A year later at Muirfield Village in a U.S. victory at the Presidents Cup, they played four team matches together, going 2–1–1. Then in 2014 at the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles—where Mickelson went off on captain Tom Watson in the aftermath—the two went 1–1.

Bradley lost in singles in each of those Cups but was 6–2–1 with Mickelson as his partner.

“I think I just sort of took it for granted that I was playing with one of the greatest players to ever touch a club for so many years,” said Bradley, who will sit out Friday’s foursomes session. “But it's also been really fun for me to be out there. Phil was very much in charge of our group, so it's been fun to go out there and sort of—I have a little different role to play.

“I haven't played much with Wyndham, and now I know why he's so good. He hits a lot of good shots and makes a lot of putts.

“But I made a putt on one of the par-3s, and I just can't contain myself. I go crazy. Then I have to, all right, bro, take a second and breathe before you hit this next shot.

“I always feel like I'm always trying to suppress my emotions on the golf course, and what I love about this tournament is you're able to let them out.”

Bradley started quickly, birding the first hole to give him and Clark a 1-up lead over Taylor Pendrith and Christiaan Bezuidenhout. They went up 2 holes at the 7th but lost the following hole and were in a tight battle until the end, but never trailed.

Leading by one hole at the 18th, Bradley’s birdie clinched the last match on the course, ending the day at 5-0 for the Americans.

“I just had such a blast out there today,” he said. “It's really fun for me to be out here with these guys. I told Wyndham on 17 or 18 just how much I missed being out here and doing this.

“What a great day for the USA, but we've got a long way to go.”