Breakfast Ball #41: Ryder Cup Prep Sesh

In This Week’s Newsletter:

Donald and Bradley Meet in New York to Celebrate One Year Until the Ryder Cup

Luke Donald and Keegan Bradley met in New York to kick off the countdown to the 2025 Ryder Cup, now just a year away. The highlight of the event was a press conference where the two captains addressed several key topics, including the ongoing PIF/PGA merger discussions, the eligibility of LIV players, and the passionate, vocal fans expected to greet the teams on Long Island next September.

Both captains expect a fiery atmosphere.. but not too fiery

Bethpage Black, a public golf course on Long Island, New York, has a reputation for attracting fans who often toe the line between passionate and disrespectful. Sergio Garcia experienced this firsthand during the 2002 U.S. Open, where fans loudly counted each of his club waggles before shots and heckled him about his recent relationship with tennis star Martina Hingis.

The Ryder Cup is an incredible tournament because of the fans. However, both Bradley and Donald noted that anyone who crosses that line will be removed from the venue, despite their desire for a great atmosphere. "The PGA of America has things in place for each group to monitor the situation and if you act inappropriately, you're going to be asked to leave the tournament,” said Bradley. "I hope and expect the fans will respect what the guys are doing but also at the same time be lively and supporting our team."

Sergio Garcia may make a surprising push for European Ryder Cup spot?

Sergio Garcia is considering rejoining the DP World Tour, which would make him eligible for the 2025 Ryder Cup, according to Team Europe captain Luke Donald. Garcia resigned in 2023 after being sanctioned for participating in LIV Golf events without permission, but has since had discussions with Donald about rejoining. If he re-qualifies, Garcia could return to the Ryder Cup, where he is the all-time leading points scorer.

Ultimately, Garcia will need to perform at a high level in 2025 to have any chance of making the Ryder Cup team. His last appearance came in 2021, and he’ll be 45 years old when the tournament begins. "We spoke a couple of weeks ago, and he feels confident he could play again," said Luke Donald. "He knows what's required, and it's great to have that conversation. He’s definitely thinking about it."

Keegan Bradley still has a chance to be a playing captain

Keegan Bradley is having a mini career revival with 3 wins in the last 3 years, pushing him to 14th in the world rankings today. He last played in the Ryder Cup in 2014, but has been on the losing side in both of his appearances. Bradley spoke about the possibility of him becoming the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963: "I’m going to play just as hard as I would if I wasn’t the captain to make the team," he said. "I'm still a full-time player in the prime of my career and I still expect to go out and win big tournaments and if I do that, I still have a chance. All the vice-captains know this is a possibility."

While it is a possibility, it is highly unlikely that Bradley, who played in the President’s Cup for Team USA a few weeks ago, will qualify for the team automatically. He has said in the past that he will not select himself for the team, so while it is fun to think about, this scenario is unlikely to play out.

Dan Bradbury Stays the Course to Win the Open De France

When there is craziness and carnage all around you, sometimes you just have to trust yourself to go the distance. Dan Bradbury did exactly that to win his second DP World Tour title with a one stroke victory at the Open De France at Le Golf National. On a day where there were 11 (yes, eleven) different leaders, Bradbury shot a cool bogey-free 66 to take the victory.

Bradbury turned pro in 2022 after finishing his collegiate career at Florida State University. He won the Joburg Open in November 2022 while playing on a sponsor invite in only his third start on the DP World Tour, and has maintained his status ever since. However, his best result of 2024 to date was a T10 finish at the Italian Open in June and he missed the cut at his only major appearance in the Open. That did not affect him as he birdied the 14th, 15th, and 16th holes in the final round to jump ahead of the pack and win by one.

The victory completely changed the 25-year-old’s outlook for the season as he jumped from 98th to 23rd in the season long Race to Dubai rankings: “The goal was to make the cut so I didn’t have to go to Korea to keep my card,” Bradbury said. “I guess I will be looking for flights to Dubai.”

Other News and Results

• 🇺🇦 Lev Grinberg, a Ukrainian amateur golfer who is 16 years old, finished in T37 at the Open De France

  • Grinberg has a very bright future and recently committed to playing college golf at the University of Arkansas

• 🌵 Matt McCarty won the Black Desert Championship on the PGA Tour by three shots after a final round 67

  • McCarty won on only his 3rd start on the PGA Tour after he got an automatic promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour for 3 wins in 2024 -

  • 🇩🇪 Matti Schmid fired a final round 62 to jump 15 spots in the FedEx Cup rankings from 120 to 105

    • Only the top 125 players get PGA Tour cards for 2025, so this was an incredibly important result for the German

  • 😕 Stephan Jaeger, despite having a guaranteed exemption into all of the PGA Tour signature events in 2025, played in this week’s tournament and finished second

    • Ryder Cup points are not available for players on the Fall PGA Tour events, so it is surprising to see him play here

Coming up this week on Tour

• The Andalucia Masters is the next event on the DP World Tour

  • Jon Rahm is scheduled to play in his home country

• The Shriner Children’s Open takes place in Las Vegas on the PGA Tour

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