'Beyond my wildest dreams': Keegan Bradley's journey from the slopes in Vermont to Ryder Cup captain

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- While attending St. John's, Keegan Bradley and his teammates had a uncommon privilege -- playing the celebrated Black Course astatine Bethpage State Park, the tract of this week's Ryder Cup, erstwhile it was closed to the nationalist connected Mondays.

Then-St. John's manager Frank Darby had worked retired the woody with Bethpage Black superintendent Craig Currier, whom Darby befriended portion helping signifier the New York State Open astatine the people implicit the years.

The Johnnies didn't person a location course, truthful they bounced astir clubs successful the New York metropolitan area. When backstage clubs closed for the winter, Bethpage Black stayed unfastened for a fewer much weeks. The authorities parkland people known arsenic the "People's Country Club" soon became Bradley's favorite.

"It was similar being capable to sprout hoops astatine Madison Square Garden with nary 1 successful the stadium, nary 1 there," said Mike Ballo Jr., 1 of Bradley's teammates. "It's conscionable specified a surreal experience."

There was 1 rule: Bradley and his teammates could play lone holes 3 done 14, what is known arsenic the "Short Course," and weren't allowed to transverse Round Swamp Road to play the past four, which were excessively adjacent to the clubhouse and information guards.

With those restrictions successful place, Bradley and his teammates had to skip the 15th, the astir hard spread connected 1 of the toughest courses successful America. They'd ne'er get a accidental to tackle the par-3 17th and its shallow green, oregon locomotion up the 18th fairway similar Tiger Woods did erstwhile helium won the 2002 U.S. Open.

It was similar taking your kids to Disney World and telling them they couldn't thrust the roller coasters and had to enactment connected the beverage cups each day.

Finally, 1 time during the autumn of Bradley's elder play successful 2007-08, helium and teammate George Zolotas had had enough. They crossed Round Swamp Road and played Nos. 15-18. By the clip they reached the 18th green, determination was a assemblage of radical waiting for them.

"Everybody was conscionable staring astatine america like, 'What are you guys doing retired here?'" Zolotas said. "We benignant of conscionable thought we could gaffe successful and gaffe out, but it truly didn't enactment retired similar that."

The authorities parkland constabulary called Currier, who was capable to defuse the situation.

"I don't blasted him for doing it, and I don't deliberation they regret it astatine all," Ballo said. "And now, years later, we tin laughter astir it, but that was bad. It wasn't bully due to the fact that for years, nary 1 knew we were there. Then each of a sudden, everyone knew we were there."

This weekend, Bradley, 39, has the state to spell wherever helium wants astatine Bethpage Black arsenic the youngest skipper of the U.S. Ryder Cup squad since 34-year-old Jack Nicklaus successful 1963. Win oregon suffer against the Europeans, the acquisition is definite to consciousness similar a full-circle infinitesimal for the Vermont native, who has spent overmuch of his PGA Tour vocation until present feeling similar an outsider.

"I came present arsenic an 18-year-old kid going to St. John's, played the Red Course [in] our location tournaments, and to travel backmost arsenic the Ryder Cup skipper is thing beyond my wildest dreams," Bradley said this week.

AFTER THE EUROPEANS trounced the Americans 16½-11½ astatine Marco Simone Golf & Country Club connected the outskirts of Rome 2 years ago, the U.S. squad needed caller enactment and caller ideas. Even aft Tiger Woods passed connected the opportunity, Bradley was the astir improbable of choices -- for myriad reasons.

Bradley ne'er considered himself to beryllium among the sport's precocious people contempt capturing the 2011 PGA Championship arsenic a rookie and amassing 8 victories connected circuit successful his career. He wasn't invited to meetings with different apical golfers erstwhile the PGA Tour restructured successful the aftermath of the LIV Golf threat, and helium was unceremoniously near disconnected the 2023 Ryder Cup squad contempt finishing 11th successful points.

Cameras were rolling erstwhile then-U.S. skipper Zach Johnson called Bradley to interruption the quality that helium wasn't getting 1 of his six captain's picks, a infinitesimal play fans person watched implicit and implicit again successful the Netflix series, "Full Swing."

"That mome...