MEDINAH, Ill. – They can celebrate and trophy-presented in one of the porta-potties for everything that Keegan Bradley could care about.
Thankfully for him, they chose the 14th green, which sounds a bit funky, until you remember that they moved the holes this week to the Presidents’ Cup. And the 14th hole at Medinah Country Club it’s actually the 18th hole.
Where 14 years ago, Bradley she felt flushed.
It was there, at the 2012 Ryder Cup, where the end came for Bradley’s US team in what became known as the Medina Miracle. That year, the Americans entered the final day with a convincing 10-6 lead only to see Euro win singles match after singles match and fall.
So this year meant a chance at some redemption. Chosen as captain for the ’26 Presidents Cup era Brandt Snedekerwho was on the ’12 team, and chose a trio of his former teammates to be vice-captains – Jim Furyk, Webb Simpson and, yes, Bradley. Who also went through a personal hell with the Ryder Cup, having lost as a player in 2012 and 2014, and again last year, as captain.
So yes, he said Sunday night, the process here felt sublime after the United States rallied from a 10.5-7.5 deficit on its way to a 17-13 win.
“Today was a very necessary day for me personally,” said Bradley. “… I really care about everyone in this room. Last year was a tough year with what happened in the Ryder Cup, but to be able to come here and experience this day – I said to Webb and Brandt on the mic, and Jim, we had a really horrible moment on that 14th green in 2012, and today we had to experience one of the happiest moments of my golf career.
“I’m so proud of all the boys. I’m so happy that Brandt will become a Presidents Cup winning captain. … The thing about this team is that they are such incredible people, and no matter how many points they have dropped, they will fight until the end. We know this was close, and I’m very proud of them.”
Furyk is also heavily involved in this year’s Presidents Cup, as next year he will captain the Americans for a second time at the Ryder Cup. On Sunday night after the Presidents Cup win, a reporter asked him if there was a lesson learned to take away in the coming months.
He said there was. He also hoped that the Americans would celebrate.
“I’ve seen a lot of formations; I’ve seen a lot of team rooms. I think I’m still learning,” Furyk said. “I’m always trying to find ways, new ideas. We had a lot of new people in the room this year. Always sharing ideas, always trying to learn, always trying to be a calming influence.
“I said it all the time, I want – first of all, I want these guys to really enjoy what they did today. Walking into a Sunday three points, having a lot of pressure, playing like they had nothing to lose, going out and showing for these fans, putting them in it, I really want them to enjoy what they did today because it’s pretty special.