Captain US Brandt Snedeker admitted to doing “mistakes” during this year’s Presidents’ Cupmistakes that almost cost his team dear. The American players saved their legacy with a furious comeback on Sunday to win at Medinah.
But in his excitement after the US team’s victory, Snedeker may have made his biggest mistake of the week: providing the European Ryder Cup team with a bold quote to meet next year at Adare Manor.
In a Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio interview after his team’s Presidents Cup win, Snedeker suggested that the American players would be a “problem” for the Europeans in Ireland.
On Tuesday, European Ryder Cup star Tyrrell Hatton was asked about Snedeker’s comments, and his lack of response provided plenty of reason for US fans to worry.
Snedeker on US Ryder Cup chances: ‘This team will be a problem in Ireland’
In the modern era of the Ryder Cup, the US team often enters the biennial event with a high level of confidence. This confidence is often based on the undeniable truth that their players are “better” from top to bottom than European players.
A quick look at the Official World Golf Ranking prove this point.
The confidence of the Americans, however, flies in the face of their embarrassing encounter against the European team.
The United States is 2-6 in the last eight Ryder Cups and 3-9 in the last 12going back almost 25 years. Last September, they were shamed againboth from his game on the course and the bad behavior of his fans in Bethpage Black.
European players, on the other hand, have become adept at turning the words of American players against them, taking arrogant quotes and using them as competitive inspiration to play their best at the Ryder Cup, and to rally their team around a singular mission.
The 2025 Ryder Cup is the perfect example. In comments to the upcoming 2024 US Ryder Cup players that were filmed and streamed on Netflix Full SwingUS captain Keegan Bradley said, “We’re going to Bethpage to kick their f—ing a—!”
Bradley did not think the comments were being filmed at the time and publicly worried about its effect on the European Ryder Cup team once they were published.
In other words, he feared his quotes would become “bulletin-board material” for the European Ryder Cup team. His fears were accurate.
After the European team’s win, Shane Lowry posted a photo of himself holding the Ryder Cup while sitting in the European team’s weight room in Bethpage. behind him, Bradley’s quote from Netflix was literally painted on the wall.
On Sunday in the Presidents Cup, Snedeker may have made the same mistake that Bradley did.
Shortly after the final putt fell to Medinah, Snedeker took some live questions Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio. At first, he spoke highly of his players, arguing their charge on Sunday showed they knew how to play as a team.
“I think it means more for USA golf. I think we are all tired of this narrative that we are not close, that we don’t care about each other, that we don’t know how to play team golf. You know, I think this proves it. You don’t come back from the day like we did if these guys are not all bought and believe in each other.” And they said to Radio Xne PGA Tour.
Those comments mirrored those he shared later that night in his official press conference. But then he dropped the kicker, the line that could end up in the dressing room of the European Team in Ireland.
“This team is going to be a problem in Ireland,” Snedeker said, referring to Team USA’s chances at the 2027 Ryder Cup. “They’re going to be a problem.”
In the moment, Snedeker was proud of his team’s comeback victory and grateful that they had saved him from becoming the first American Presidents Cup captain in more than 25 years.
But in an attempt to praise his players, he could have caused a huge problem for them and 2027 US Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk.
Tyrrell Hatton refuses to take the Ryder Cup bait, but the silence tells
As they are not part of the Presidents Cup, the European Ryder Cup players were neutral observers last week (although Rory McIlroy announced his support behind the International team).
That also means they were not available to respond to Snedeker’s comments on Sunday.
That changes this week with many of Europe’s finest competing in the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in St. Andrews.
Among them is three times champion of Dunhill Tyrrell Hatton. Hatton has been a member of the European team in the last four Ryder Cups, during which his team went 3-1 in the event.
In his press conference on Tuesday in St. Andrews, Hatton was asked directly about Snedeker’s comments that the US team would be a “problem” in next year’s Ryder Cup. While Hatton admitted he watched the Presidents Cup on Sunday, he didn’t take the bait.
“Yes, I sat down and watched it on Sunday. Yes, obviously there was a lot of red on the board, and yes, the United States team was incredibly strong on Sunday, which I think probably everyone expected. But yes, just sitting on the couch as a neutral and watching and enjoying it was really fun,” said Hatton.
When asked if he expected Team USA to look the same next year Adare ManorThe newly educated Hatton avoided saying anything negative.
“Well, still a year. There will be some of those guys, I imagine, will be on the team in Adare,” Hatton said on Tuesday. “The United States always has an incredibly strong team at the Ryder Cup, and Adare will be no different.”
The fact that Hatton is aware of Snedeker’s comments, but has avoided answering questions about them, is telling. European players will not publicize their internal discussions or motivations, not at least until after the Ryder Cup, as Lowry did last year.
They will also do everything in their power not to provide bulletin-board material to the US team, as Hatton might have if he had responded to Snedeker’s comments with an impassioned comeback.
But it wouldn’t be shocking if Snedeker’s comments have already made their way into the European Ryder Cup team’s group chat, or end up on the wall of the European dressing room at Adare Manor next September.