Bradley doesn’t want to be remembered for an altercation from eight years ago with Miguel Angel Jimenez but for what he does on the golf course.
Keegan Bradley was one of the players that felt snubbed out of a captain's pick for the Ryder Cup. Many thought he would be one of the six that captain Zach Johnson selected. Instead, the first-time captain went another route, controversially adding Justin Thomas to the team.
Bradley expressed his disappointment about not being named to the team.
The 37-year-old won twice this season, at the Zozo Championship and the Travelers Championship. He also has one runner-up finish, six top 10s, 10 top 25s and made 18-of-23 cuts.
Bradley has a bulldog-type mentality and is aggressive when he needs to be. That kind of tenacity and grit are perfect for the Ryder Cup. Fans saw that mentality in 2015 when he had an altercation with veteran legend Miguel Angel Jimenez.
At the WGC Match play event, Bradley and Jimenez were playing each other. Tensions were high after a ruling on the 13th hole and eventually the 18th hole. Jimenez wouldn't let something go and eventually would say something to Bradley's caddie, Steve “Pepsi” Hale, which caused Bradley to stick up for his man and go face to face with Jimenez.
"You don't tell my caddie to shut up," Bradley told Jimenez in that video.
After the round, it seemed Jimenez had more to say. Pepsi tried to intersect, but Bradley handled the situation.
“You don’t tell my caddie to shut up.” -Keegan Bradley in 2015
— claire rogers (@kclairerogers) May 8, 2022
pic.twitter.com/9D9f3I8uOu
Eight years later, in a video with Barstool Sports reporter Dan Rapaport, the former St. Johns golfer admitted to being embarrassed by that interaction.
Keegan absolutely loves the Ryder Cup. Hard not to feel gutted for him. pic.twitter.com/sUX1KkK5UW
— Fore Play (@ForePlayPod) August 30, 2023
"Yeah, I hate it," Bradley said. "Sometimes people underestimate me. I'm really embarrassed by it, and every year during the match play. Like my buddies love it, so they're like sending it in our group chats. I delete it right away because I can't even see it because it's so embarrassing."
Bradley shares that he hasn't seen Jimenez since that altercation but has a lot of respect for him as a player.
He may not be proud of that video, but his passion for protecting his caddie is what so many people love about it. The video resurfaced all over Twitter after he wasn’t named to the Ryder Cup team, prompting this reaction.
Unfortunately, Bradley won’t be able to bring that intensity to Rome in 2023. He will have to try again in 2025 when the event returns to the United States.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
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