Keegan Bradley opens up about Phil Mickelson's influential mentorship - "An incredible thing he did"

Keegan Bradley is poised to captain the United States at the 2025 Ryder Cup. Following a disastrous outing in 2023 under Zach Johnson, Team USA went in a different direction and chose a player who could have even made the team as a golfer.

Bradley just completed an impressive showing at the Presidents Cup, his first time in that tournament in 10 years. He believes his experiences in golf, namely his work with Phil Mickelson, could pay dividends next year.

"Early in my career, I really took for granted Phil's leadership that he gave me. I was playing with one of the best players to ever touch a golf club."

He revealed that in alternate shot play, Mickelson would choose to play Bradley's ball no matter what. There are a lot of things Bradley says he "took for granted over the years," including knowing who his pairing would be year in, year out.

The 2025 Ryder Cup captain said:

"What Phil did for me is he created a relaxed atmosphere, and he told me, 'don't worry about putting it four or five feet by. I'll make them coming back.' Little stuff like that really helped me."

Bradley added that Mickelson was mentoring him even before the event took place. Mickelson took him out to dinner and talked him through everything. The golfer said he "learned a lot" even if he didn't get it at first.

"It hasn't been until now that I've really realized what an incredible thing it was that he did for me."

He finished by saying that it will be vital for his veterans, such as Scottie Scheffler or Xander Schauffele, to take that role and do what Mickelson did for Bradley for the young players on Team USA.

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Keegan Bradley pumps the brakes on player-captain role

Keegan Bradley's focus is on being the captain (Imagn)

Keegan Bradley has considered the idea of playing for the 2025 Ryder Cup team even as the captain. It's rare for the captain to be eligible and to play, but there's a chance Bradley meets the criteria.

However, Bradley is not sure it's a good idea to do so. He said he has to first worry about the pairings and managing his golfers. He said it "would be a really difficult job" to captain and play.

Keegan Bradley added:

"But I made a promise to myself that I'm not going to worry about this until the time comes if I do. It's really difficult to make the American team every year; you have to go out and really perform."

His focus is on being the captain, but he is still a full-time player on the PGA Tour. Bradley will be playing all four majors and big events on tour next season, so he could theoretically qualify for the team. For now, he's only focused on getting his team into the best shape.