Money talk a theme as Bradley and Donald rally troops for battle
Team USA Captain Keegan Bradley sits for a media interview during the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage State Park on Monday, September 22, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America)
Keegan Bradley squirmed when Ryder Cup week teed off with a quizzing on the Americans being paid to play for the first time.
In the first captains’ media conference of what will be a long week before the first ball is struck on Friday morning, the US skipper admitted he’s thought about what it might have been like to pick himself “every second” before reminding himself about “how impossible it would be.”
But in a 25-minute appearance with Luke Donald that was full of expressions of mutual admiration, Bradley also learned that the question of money is not likely to go away.
When asked if the $500,000 stipends to the US players — $200,000 for their personal use and a $300,000 donation to charity of their choice — showed that the Ryder Cup meant more to Europeans, he had to try hard not to sound defensive.
“Well, I'm not concerned about what Europe does or what they think,” said Bradley who has pledged to donate his entire $500,000 stipend to charity. "I'm concerned about what my team is doing.
“I was tasked with a job the PGA of America asked me to do, and this was what we decided...
“We did the best we could, and I think a lot of good is going to come from this. I think the players are going to do a lot of good with this money, and I think it's great.”
Bradley was the more animated of the skippers in his language, describing the arrival of Ryder Cup week as “amazing” and “magical” and the venue as “incredible”.
He admitted it was emotional to gather his players for a pre-practice chat on the first tee while only half the Europeans made an appearance later in the morning, limiting themselves to range practice.
“Every second that the guys are together and can have a powerful moment, I think it brings them closer together,” Bradley said.
"That was a really fun time to be out there with those guys and share that moment and hear the National Anthem.”
FARMINGDALE, NY - SEPTEMBER 22: Team Europe Captain Luke Donald sits for a media interview during the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage State Park on Monday, September 22, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America)
He added: “It was a powerful moment. You're looking around and seeing all the guys staring at what we were doing and so into it in such an emotional way.
"A lot of people have worked really hard to get to this point in their lives.
"Like Luke said, you never know when your last Ryder Cup is. You never know if you're going to play one or 10 or whatever.
"For a lot of guys, whether it was the players, the caddies, the coaches, to be on that first tee in New York City at Bethpage Black at a Ryder Cup is a very powerful moment."
Bradley spoke of emotion and excitement and revving up the crowd while Donald referred to the importance of Europe’s legacy and four wins on US soil since 1987.
“I think what I love about the Ryder Cup is I feel like every hole is the last hole of a tournament, so you can kind of let that emotion out,” Bradley said.
“And I think you see a lot of players that play with a lot of emotion play well at Ryder Cups because they don't have to hold it in.
“I'm constantly trying to hold it in my whole career. And when you come out in an exciting environment like this, you can let that emotion out and enjoy it, even on the first hole on Friday, which is always fun.”
Robert MacIntyre, Ramus Hojgaard, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland, Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick were the only Europeans to appear before the captains spoke, each dressed in salmon pink.
It was no coincidence that was the colour Europe wore on the final day at Muirfield Village in 1987, when they won on US soil for the first time.
“Yeah, I think it's always important to rally around something,” said Donald, who was unsurprised by a course that’s been set up for birdies.
“We always have things that we come up with that are important to us. History and our unity and celebrating what we've done in the past and the legends that have kind of come before us is really important.
“I wanted to focus that, yes, this is going to be a difficult challenge. We haven't come close to winning three out of the last four away Ryder Cups.
"It's not been very close at all. That's my job to bridge that gap. But we have won quite a few times. We've won four times away since 1987 and come close a few other times as well.
“But no, I think that's motivating to the guys that it can be done, it has been done, and again, we're here to try and do it again.”
