Keegan Bradley calls out 'envelope rule' following tough Ryder Cup loss

Keegan Bradley opened up about the envelope rule after his team lost in the Ryder Cup, playing on home soil. At the 2025 edition of the biennial tournament, which was held at the Bethpage Black Course, the European team dominated in the field and retained its title.

On the final day, there were supposed to be 12 singles matches, but one was canceled due to the envelope rule. Viktor Hovland was initially scheduled to play against Harris English, but the Norwegian golfer could not compete due to his neck injury, and following that, the team captains agreed to sideline one player from their team.

In the post-round press conference after the tournament, Keegan Bradley opened up about this rule and said (via ASAP Sports):

“The rule has to change. I think it’s obvious to everybody in the sports world, in this room. Nothing against Viktor. But that rule needs to change by the next Ryder Cup.”

As per the envelope rule, the team captain must submit an envelope with the name of the player who withdrew from the competition due to any injury, and the game resulted in a tie, with teams receiving 0.5 points.

The European team had a phenomenal outing on the first two days, and they took a seven-point lead ahead of the Sunday singles. However, the US team made a remarkable comeback on the final day but unfortunately missed the title by two points.

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Keegan Bradley reflects on his team's Sunday performance at the Ryder Cup

Keegan Bradley at Ryder Cup - Final Day - Source: Imagn

Keegan Bradley praised his teammates for their remarkable comeback in the Sunday singles of the 2025 Ryder Cup. He talked about their game and also shared a motivational message. He said (via ASAP Sports):

"The boys really fought today. That was incredible. I didn't expect anything different. These guys are really an incredible group. And you know, they played the last two days when we were way down. You wouldn't have known we were way down. They looked like they were battling. Their body language was good. They were pumping up the crowd.

"They were fighting the whole way, even when things were not looking good, and I didn't expect anything different today than these guys who are determined, proud, and playing for each other, playing for their team, playing for their country, and they showed the world today that, really, anything is possible. That was a coin flip there for a second. Never more proud of anything in my life," he added.

In the Sunday singles, the US won six points, four resulted in a tie, and they lost only one game. The game between Viktor Hovland and Harris English was halved as the former withdrew from the competition. Only Ludvig Åberg could win a game on Sunday against Patrick Cantlay from the European side.

Keegan Bradley was also expected to play in the Ryder Cup but chose not to compete in the game, focusing solely on his duties as captain. He had an impressive season on the PGA Tour this year.

Bradley had won the Travelers Championship, while some of his key finishes included T7 at the Memorial Tournament, T6 at the Sony Open in Hawaii, T5 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and T7 at the Tour Championship.