Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup captaincy ended in tears at Bethpage Black back in September.
Bradley made numerous mistakes during his tenure as Ryder Cup captain, none more so than when he paired Collin Morikawa and Harris English together at Bethpage Black, not once, but twice.
The 39-year-old’s team rallied on Sunday but it wasn’t enough in the end, as Team Europe ran out as 15-13 winners.
Keegan Bradley obviously gave his all but it just wasn’t enough in the end.
His clear lack of reliance on data held back Team USA, and he must know that deep down.
Despite his disappointing spell as captain, there have been calls by some big-name players, Freddie Couples included, for Bradley to be given another chance in the Ryder Cup hot-seat.
Keegan Bradley made a guest appearance in the Sky Sports booth after his final round at the RBC Heritage on Sunday.
Bradley responded when asked whether he would like to be part of a Ryder Cup team again at some point in the future.
“You know, and I really I have the most most respect for the European team.
“I had a front row seat and I told the guys this, I think it’s one of the greatest sporting performances by a team ever, especially the first two days.
“I couldn’t believe it. I was waiting for them to miss a putt, but they wouldn’t do it.
“But, you know, I would love to play on another team, be a part of a team. We’ll see.“
As good as the Europeans undoubtedly putted at Bethpage Black, that was not the only reason they won.
In fact, the European camp will likely be delighted that the Americans believe putting was the real difference-maker.
Bradley’s poor decisions regarding pairings unquestionably affected the outcome.
There were also question marks regarding why Scottie Scheffler took the even hole tee shots during the foursomes, with Russell Henley on the odds.
The data clearly showed that the longer hitter in the pairing should have had the odd number tee shots.
If the US Ryder Cup committee do not realize that changes need to be made regarding data analytics moving forward, they will be set for even more misery in the competition.
Of course, the European players have the added advantage of sharing a natural kind of chemistry with one another that simply cannot be learned or manufactured in any way.
Team USA will have a seriously difficult task on their hands if they are to wrestle the Ryder Cup back from the Europeans at Adare Manor in 2027.