Bradley Stands Firm on Ryder Cup Pairings Despite Friday Loss
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley defended his decision to pair Collin Morikawa and Harris English in Friday’s four-ball session, despite the duo suffering a defeat, and affirmed his overall strategy remains intact. Following a challenging opening day for the americans at Bethpage Black, Bradley emphasized a pre-persistent plan and a data-driven approach to potential adjustments.
The U.S. team trailed 6.5 to 3.5 at the close of play, a deficit fueled in part by the performance of morikawa and English, who faced formidable opposition.This outcome has prompted questions about Bradley’s pairing choices, particularly given the duo’s struggles on the greens. The Ryder Cup, a biennial contest pitting the United States against Europe, carries immense prestige and national pride, with the outcome impacting both teams’ legacies and future competitive standing. Saturday’s matches offer a crucial opportunity for the U.S.team to regain momentum and close the gap.
“they were disappointed that they lost their match today,” Bradley stated, explaining the rationale behind keeping the pair together for a potential rematch. “They were eager to get back out on the course, and that’s why we did that.”
While maintaining confidence in his initial plan, Bradley acknowledged the need for adaptability. He confirmed he would deviate from the strategy if necessary, but not at this juncture. “Yeah,I think there’s definitely some things that you have to adapt to,” he said. “We ran into some really incredible play by the Europeans today. So you know, we look at the data. We look at the strokes gained. In the morning session, we just didn’t make any putts. Really, hardly any at all. Everything else was pretty good. we actually hit more fairways and less greens.”
Bradley highlighted the remarkable performance of the European team, specifically noting the five-, six-, and seven-under par rounds posted by the opposition in the alternate shot format. He conceded that such scoring is tough to overcome.
When questioned about perhaps altering the tee-off order in alternate shot matches, Bradley remained tight-lipped. “Yeah,I think we’ll keep that to our team and what we’re going to do there,” he responded,signaling a reluctance to reveal strategic details to the European team.
