Team USA was fighting its way back, and the scoreboard was turning red. But as the Americans chased a comeback, a rules official became the target of Keegan Bradley’s frustration. New details add another layer to an already dramatic Ryder Cup Sunday.
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PGA professional Chandler Withington told the story on Musings on Golf, saying Bradley confronted rule official Jeff Kiddie three times in two holes, “Keegan Bradley goes over to Jeff. He goes, ‘What the f— are you doing up here? F—ing up our whole deal, man. We’re making this comeback. You’re up here f—ing around?’”
The match was Cameron Young against Justin Rose. On the par 3 14th, Rose had pushed his second shot far right, near the cart path. Rules officials and Rose’s camp then debated the drop at length, and Smylie Kaufman called the whole sequence bizarre. But there are more to come.
The Ryder Cup’s website reported that Keegan Bradley took issue with the drop. He dropped the ball, and it rolled to a place from where he could not make the shot. Because of TIO, he had to drop the ball again, which caused the delay, and Bradley got angry.
Withington said it didn’t stop there, “He goes, ‘You see what you f—ing did back there? Jesus, we’re going to win this f—ing thing. You’re all f—ing it up over here.’ I mean, undresses him again.”
Neither Keegan Bradley nor Kiddie has publicly responded to the claim. The hole was important for both teams. According to Kaufman, Young still led by one hole as they headed to the 15th after Rose’s comeback. Young hit a 308-yard drive on the 18th and sank a putt from nearly 12 feet, winning the match 1 up. It gave the United States its first point of the day, but it was not enough to change the final result. The Americans had started the singles matches trailing 11.5–4.5, and Europe held on to win the Ryder Cup 15–13.
Withington also pointed to Kiddie’s achievements in golf. He questioned why Bradley would allegedly treat someone with such a strong record that way, especially when Kiddie had been named the PGA of America’s Golf Professional of the Year in 2023.
Kiddie is the head professional at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, where he has worked since 2008. The PGA of America describes the award as its highest honor for a golf professional. He also served as the host professional when Aronimink held the 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. According to a local report, his role on the PGA Rules Committee helped him secure the Ryder Cup assignment.
Withington ended his account by criticizing Bradley for allegedly confronting a fellow golf professional three times. He argued that Kiddie did not deserve to be treated that way over a rules situation that had already caused frustration during the first two days of the event.
Bradley has had his own share of problems with golf rules. In 2014, he withdrew from the BMW Championship over a possible drop violation, even after a PGA Tour official cleared him. At The Players Championship, he also called on the USGA to “smarten up” after receiving a two-stroke penalty. After the Ryder Cup loss, Bradley took responsibility for his mistakes.
He also called for a change to the rule that kept Harris English out of Sunday’s matches. Now, Withington’s account has added another twist to Bradley’s history with golf rules. He said the incident left Kiddie unwilling to work at another Ryder Cup.