One Captain Demanded Better-Smelling Shampoo While The Other Failed To Set The Course Up Correctly: How The Ryder Cup Was Decided In The Detail

There were so many reasons behind Team USA's downfall at the 2025 Ryder Cup that it's tough to rank exactly which was the most catastrophic.

The poor behavior of certain fans and a string of underwhelming performances from some of the world's top-10 undoubtedly played their part in capping the US' potential, but the role Keegan Bradley played in this defeat cannot be ignored.

I'm hesitant to place all of the blame at the door of the US captain as, like I said, there were so many contributing factors. Big players did not step up in big moments and the lack of natural cohesion between teammates was painfully evident at times.

Nevertheless, many of those problems could have been ironed out with more efficient leadership from Bradley.

While he probably picked the right 12 players in the first place and sent out the majority of the obvious two-man teams, the decision to pair Collin Morikawa and Harris English together not once but twice throughout the week was simply unbelievable.

The two American stars were, statistically, the least compatible duo on the US side - something they proved through a 5&4 hammering by Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood in the Friday foursomes.

And when Morikawa and English asked for another chance to prove their worth on Saturday, Bradley naively listened instead of putting his foot down and subbing in a capable replacement.

The call proved costly as, once again, Morikawa and English lost to McIlroy and Fleetwood - but this time, it was 3&2 as the American duo delayed the inevitable by winning two of their final three in the match. That proved to be just the third and fourth hole-successes out of 30 across the two days.

From a wider perspective, even the most suitable pairings were struggling to find a way past those in blue, in part due to the course set-up. The fairway rough was shaved down which made missing the cut strip little to no penalty whatsoever, and the Europeans' marginal lack of length off the tee compared to their hosts was not punished due to the softness of the greens.

Speaking afterwards, Bradley admitted himself that he "definitely made a mistake on the course setup" and should have listened to his intuition when handing out the specifications.

He said: "We tried to set the course up to help our team. Obviously it wasn't the right decision.

"I think anytime you're the leader of a team or the captain or the coach, or whatever, we talked about this last night, you're going to get the accolades and you need to take the blame for when things don't go well.

"I definitely made a mistake on the course setup. I should have listened a little bit more to my intuition. For whatever reason, that wasn't the right way to set the course up. The greens were as soft as I've ever seen greens without it raining. Especially here, it can get pretty firm, and they never firmed up."

Personally, I cannot understand how Bradley has made that significant an error with one of the most key tools at his disposal. And the fact that he was second-guessing himself so soon after the event speaks to the lack of clarity in America's planning for the Ryder Cup.

On a similar note, Scheffler revealed that it was a conversation between his and Russell Henley's respective caddie's to swap the tee-off order ahead of Saturday's foursomes matches, not his captain - a call which, while possibly correct, should have come from the management team and shows a distinct lack of leadership from Bradley.

On the flip side, Luke Donald and Team Europe's preparation for Bethpage Black was so meticulous, it bordered on the obsessive. They famously wore VR headsets to see if they could create the febrile atmosphere that was expected ahead of time and even went as far as to switch out the shampoo in their accommodation to one which... smelled nicer.

Donald explained in his team's victory press conference that he also had the bedding changed and asked people to block out unwanted light from the players' bedrooms so that his dozen could experience the best possible rest overnight.

Donald said: "I really have committed myself to this job because I feel I owe it to the players and I owe it to the Ryder Cup which has been so special to me. I've had so many incredible experiences.

"So yeah, I've had to kind of put my own game a little bit to the side, and every day I'm trying to think about things that could help us, come up with different things that might just give us a little edge.

"My job is literally to give these guys a better chance to win. It can be as simple as some very small things.

"I'll give you an example. At the hotel rooms this week, the doors to our hotel rooms had a big crack that let in light. We brought things that covered the light. We put different shampoos that had a better smell.

"We changed the bedding because the beds weren't very good, and they just had sheets, and we created much nicer beds so guys could sleep. They could have more energy. Those are just little things. I'm going into some really small details.

"It's just taking the time and having the care that you want to do everything you can to kind of give these guys the best opportunity. You want create an environment where they can succeed.

"These are 12 amazing players, we know that. You're just trying to, again, put them in a position where they feel comfortable."

I have no doubt that Bradley went to some extreme lengths to help his team, too, but from the outside looking in, it appeared as though the skipper felt his influence related more to passions and motivation rather than tangible aids.

It also looked as though he wanted to win his home Ryder Cup almost too much. He strode around the property not far from his Woodstock home with such fervour and with wide eyes that it really didn't feel like he was in control a lot of the time.

Take his run in with Justin Rose over a drop on Sunday, for example. While Bradley was more than within his rights to question the location, becoming so animated over the call wasn't a great look.

Conversely, Donald travelled around the golf course all week with purpose yet still managed to retain a sense of calm. I guess it helps when your team is doing such a good job, in all fairness.

In the end, Team USA did what they so often do best and shone in the singles matches - free of the team format that regularly restricts them - and added an awful lot of respectability to the overall scoreline.

But, in truth, the damage was done over the first two days with Team Europe uniting and excelling as one while the Americans tangled themselves up in knots.

The fate of this Ryder Cup certainly wasn't all one man's fault, but Bradley made several little mistakes that may well have cost his team dear. And, as we all know, those marginal gains can be oh so important.