In close Ryder Cup loss, Keegan Bradley singles out Bethpage Black course setup as mistake

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FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Asked what he might have done differently in a Ryder Cup that got away early, before getting really close late, U.S. captain Keegan Bradley focused on the way he set up the course at Bethpage Black.

If only the list stopped there.

In searching for answers for a 15-13 loss that turned out to be much closer than anyone expected, it was all the decisions Bradley made — not just one of them — that will fall under the microscope when the post-mortem on Sunday's loss is conducted.

Was it not choosing himself to play on the team — a decision that consumed the golf world once he started playing well late last year?

Or his insistence on sticking with a plan that paired Harris English and Collin Morikawa not once, but twice, then putting English's name in the envelope, forcing him to sit out Sunday when Viktor Hovland pulled out with an injury?

Or was it, in fact, the culprit he brought up more than once after America's first loss on home turf since 2012 — his decision to cut the rough at Bethpage Black, turning it into something that looks more like a regular tour stop instead of one of the brawniest tests in golf?

“I wish I could have some of those decisions back,” Bradley said. “I definitely feel I made a few mistakes there, but it’s tough to tell that it’s going to rain before the Ryder Cup."

The rain softened the course and slowed the greens, and tournament organizers allowed preferred lies — a no-no at the majors — throughout the entire weekend. It had the effect of making the course easier. The Europeans adjusted well.

Shane Lowry's six-foot putt to secure the cup looked like a lot of what happened over three days at Bethpage. Europe made them. America missed them.

It was no accident. European captain Luke Donald did his research and saw that putting inside of six feet at Bethpage made a bigger difference than at most courses. So, that became a focus of their practice in the leadup to the tournament.

There were other things Donald did to help his team.

“Very small things,” he explained.

Among them, different shampoos and new bedding at the hotels, and covers to keep the light from streaming in through the cracks between the doors and the floor.

“My job is literally to give these guys a better chance to win,” Donald said.

Bradley said he understood that, too, and his players tried to deflect the blame.

"We needed to make more putts,” Justin Thomas said. “That’s what Keegan needed; he needed us to make more putts.”

Like him or not, losing captains rarely get a second chance.

So, the best part of Bradley's legacy might be that he coaxed the best out of his team in a near-hopeless situation.

Facing the biggest deficit in modern Ryder Cup history going into Sunday, he spoke of Super Bowl comebacks and tapped into his players sense of responsibility. Even though winning seemed out of the question, Bradley argued, who wouldn't be thrilled to play Sunday singles at the Ryder Cup?

That almost worked. America lost only one of 11 matches that were played on a day that needed to be essentially perfect.

It still wasn't enough.

And somewhere between the shampoo bottles and how low they set the lawnmower blades is an answer that accounts for a Ryder Cup lost by a painful two points.

“I've got to take responsibility for this outcome, for sure,” Bradley said.

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AP Ryder Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/ryder-cup