Tom Rock: Keegan Bradley finds peace at U.S. Open after raucous Ryder Cup
Keegan Bradley hits from the tall fescue on the thirteenth in the first round of the 126th U.S. Open on Thursday at Shinnecock. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Keegan Bradley looked like the most relieved golfer in the field when he finished his first round of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills with an even-par 70 on Thursday. It was a treacherous journey to get there, one that started in the fog and ended in the wind, one that never took him more than a stroke over or under par the entire time.
“I really played great,” he said with a huge exhale. “I’m really proud of that round.”
Truth be told no matter what he did out on the course it would be hard to imagine his first day here going any worse than the last time he was on Long Island. And for that experience he didn’t even swing a club!
That was back in September at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black when he captained Team USA to a disastrous showing. He chose not to play himself at the event, and by the end of the first four sessions his squad was already down by what turned out to be an insurmountable 11 ½ to 4 ½. The Europeans wound up winning in spite of a spirited comeback in singles, 15-13. Beyond the decision to not put partake in the action in spite of being qualified, his strategy of sticking with the same pairings for much of the tournament and in how he set up the course as the host of the event was harshly criticized . . . by others and himself.
Nine months are definitely not long enough for that experience to have been scrubbed from his soul like a muddy Titleist in the ball cleaner.
“I’ll be thinking about that for the rest of my life,” he said when asked about it by Newsday. “But I do feel like I owe New York one, and maybe I can give them something to cheer about this weekend.”
It seemed like he did already. Maybe there is still a euphoria in the region from the Knicks’ championship. Perhaps the folks around here recognize that Shinnecock is harsh enough on players so that they don’t have to be. Could be that no one recognized Bradley with his relatively new mustache that makes him look like a man striving for incognito.
Whatever the reason, Bradley said he was a bit surprised he didn’t hear a peep from anyone about his relatively recent flop.
“I would understand if they are upset,” said Bradley, who played collegiately at St. John's and has long been familiar with golf on Long Island. “But I didn’t get that at all. And I’m really thankful for that. I just love playing here, on Long Island, in New York. I love their fans. It’s a real treat to be out here.”
Bradley is just one of the many players at this event for whom those early autumn days at Bethpage are still resonating out here in the early Southampton summer. Rory McIlroy, who shot a 1-under 69 in his opening round, spoke earlier in the week about the different receptions he received at the Ryder Cup (vile, raucous venom) and this Open (polite applause and appreciation).
Cameron Young, who emerged as a Ryder Cup star for the U.S. despite the team’s loss, continued his trajectory and shot a respectable 2-over 72 on Thursday. Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and defending U.S. Open champ J.J. Spaun all carried their scars from the experience with them around this course. Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka, European winners, were certainly able to strut a little bolder due to their title.
It’s worth noting that since that Ryder Cup no American was won a major. Sure, there have only been two of them, but McIlroy claiming a second straight Master’s in April and Aaron Rai earning the PGA in May certainly makes it a streak.
“Obviously for the European golfers, the majority of our golf is in the United States, three of the four major championships are here, and I think over time we've gotten a lot more comfortable with the style of golf that you need to play and the setups around here," said McIlroy. "It certainly wouldn't surprise me to see a few players from Europe and the UK in contention on Sunday.”
It doesn’t hurt that Shinnecock, with its wide open expanses, is one of the most old-country influenced courses in the U.S. Open rotation, not to mention geographically close to the European continent. It wouldn’t need to be a very stray shot for a drive to land in the nearby Atlantic and potentially be carried by the currents all the way over.
The fans, too, clearly understand the tight link between the two very different events. So many of them are wearing the souvenir shirts and hats they bought at the Ryder Cup here at the Open you’d think the USGA was selling them in the merchandise tent. Of course they were not.
There was even an actual Ryder on the course here! Amateur Ryder Cowan from Oklahoma at one point late Thursday afternoon led the entire field at 3-under through his first nine holes and finished at two-under-par 68.
But it was Bradley who bore most of the responsibility for the home course fizzle.
And it is he who now feels he needs to rectify it in some fashion.
Maybe winning the Open will do that. Maybe just contending for it will. Or perhaps, like Bradley suggested, nothing ever can.
For a little while on Thursday, though, Bradley was able to start to move on.
“I love playing in this area,” he said. “Just a really fun day.”
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
