Keegan Bardley may have kept it short with “My passion and appreciation for golf’s greatest team event have never been stronger,” after being named Ryder Cup captain. But the first person to teach him how to hold a golf club knows it was a trip all the way down to when the seeds were first sown. Keegan Bradley’s father, Mark, has been a cornerstone of his golf journey, guiding him since he was just three years old. Watching those early lessons pay off on the biggest stages, Mark spoke for both of them.

Keegan Bradley spent much of his childhood learning the game alongside his father, Mark Bradley, at the Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club, where Mark was the Director of Instruction and head professional for 26 years. “Keegan came to work with me every day at the golf course for years. He practiced and played and played and played some more. We played a Ryder Cup game a lot. If he hit a good shot, he could ride in the cart. If his shot was not so good, I made him walk. We had so much fun with that,” Mark recalled, PGA of America reports. 

These daily sessions weren’t short; they lasted for hours, focusing on swings, putting, and counting strokes, all while Mark taught important lessons in patience and composure. Mark made sure Keegan learned from every shot, celebrated successes, and stayed calm through mistakes. Those early days of structured practice, playful Ryder Cup games, and constant guidance helped Keegan develop the focus, skill, and resilience that would later shape him into a leader capable of captaining Team USA at the Ryder Cup.

“You can imagine how great it was when he announced as the Ryder Cup Captain representing the USA,” he added. For Mark Bradley, it wasn’t a surprise; he knew his son was meant for this role. Rightly so, after a lifetime of work.

The Bradleys have a rare distinction in golf: a PGA Tour member, a PGA of America member, and an LPGA Tour member all in the same bloodline. Mark, a PGA professional since 1997, guided his son Keegan from the very beginning, while his aunt, Pat Bradley, became an LPGA standout and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1991. Mark recalled, “Our parents owned a ski shop when I was growing up. My dad caddied as a kid and loved golf. He said to my mother that he wanted to introduce his kids to ‘the game of integrity’. My sister Pat, and I started playing at the ages of 9 and 11.”

That tradition continued with Keegan. When he was just three, he picked up a golf club for the first time, learning early lessons from his father. Mark taught Keegan the power of resilience and hard work. 

It wasn’t just the honor that made the moment special; it was how Keegan experienced it himself. “I was having a hard time grasping the reality of it,” he had admitted. Over time, he took it in and grew comfortable with the achievement. Now, with the Ryder Cup just a month away, whether he will serve as a playing captain has become the most talked-about topic in the golf world, but ignoring that, Bradley gave fans some news they were not expecting. 

Bradley Sets Opening Session Strategy Amid Playing Captain Debate

As Team USA’s captain, Keegan Bradley has the authority to decide how the opening sessions of the Ryder Cup will play out. He chose to start Friday and Saturday with foursomes before moving to four-ball, with singles matches wrapping up on Sunday. By going with this approach, Bradley is leaning on a format that has historically favored the Americans: when the U.S. has started with alternate-shot matches in past Ryder Cups, they’ve gone 9-3-1, giving the team an early edge. While this follows a recent trend, Team USA has opened with foursomes in five straight Ryder Cups; the choice carries extra significance, as those early sessions often set the tone for the entire event.

Bradley’s decision hasn’t gone unnoticed. Some fans and analysts have raised questions about whether foursomes are the best way to start, and there’s ongoing debate about how players should be paired, whether teammates should use the same clubs or mix and match.

Bradley hasn’t publicly responded to the criticism yet, but the discussion highlights just how high-profile captaincy decisions are. With just a month until the Ryder Cup, all eyes are on Bradleynot just for his playing captain decision, but for how his strategy will unfold.