MEDINAH, Ill. — They celebrated and the trophy in one of the gates was all Keegan Bradley could have cared for.
They kindly chose the 14th green for him, which sounds a bit silly until you remember that this week he moved into the Presidents Cup. And the 14th hole at Medinah Antipolis is actually the 18th hole.
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At the age of 14, Bradley felt a blush.
It was there, at the 2012 Ryder Cup, where the end came for the US Bradley team in what became known as the Miracle in Medinah. This year, the Americans entered the final day convincing 10-6 only to see the odds win with a hat-trick and fall.
So this year meant some time for redemption. The Presidents Cup captain was elected Brandt Snedeker, who was on the ’12 team, and chose to be a trio of former vice-captains – Jim Furyk, Webb Simpson and, of course, Bradley. Who also went through personal hell with the Ryder Cup, losing it as a player in 2012 and 2014, then as a manager last year.
So yes, he said Sunday night, things felt even better here after the US rallied from a 10.5-7.5 deficit en route to a 17-13 win.
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“Today was a very necessary day for me,” said Bradley. “… I 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 try this day – I said to Webb and Brandt on the mic, and Jim, we experienced a really terrible time on the 14th green of 2012, and today we experience one of the most successful courses of my time.
“I’m so proud of all the guys. I’m so happy that Brandt is going to win the Presidents Cup. … The thing about this team is the incredible people, and it doesn’t matter how many points are down, they’re going to fight until the end. We knew this was going to be close, and I’m very proud.”
Also deeply involved in this year’s Presidents Cup is Furyk, who will lead the Americans for the second time at the Ryder Cup next year. On Sunday night after winning the Presidents’ Cup, a reporter asked him if he had learned any lessons that he wanted to enter months ago.
For they said He also hoped that the Americans would celebrate.
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“I’ve seen a lot of lineups, I’ve seen a lot of lineups. I think you’re always learning,” Furyk said. “I’m always trying to find new ways of thinking. This year we had some people in the room. Always sharing ideas, always trying to learn, always trying to be calm.
“Throughout everything I said, I want – above all, I want these guys to really enjoy what they did today. Walking into Sunday with three points, having a lot of pressure, playing like nothing to lose, going out there and showing off for these fans, putting them in it, I want to really enjoy what they did today, because it’s pretty darn special.
“We made some good runs on Sunday, but it’s difficult to really get them over the hump and really finish, and these guys finished like I’ve never seen before. I’m proud.
“If you listened all year and you listened to my media all year, it was really about, why did you come back? Why do you want to be the leader of the Ryder Cup? Because I love these guys. I really do.”
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