Nine months later, Keegan Bradley still can’t shake the feeling of losing the Ryder Cup on home soil at Bethpage Black.
As a matter of fact, it’s one that he doesn’t anticipate moving on from, especially this week, now that he’s back on Long Island for the U.S. Open. Bradley shot even par during the first day of the tournament, battling through a two-hour delay because of fog and the whipping winds that make Shinnecock Hills so tough.
Still, failing to win the Ryder Cup as Team USA’s captain last fall stings.
“I’ll be thinking about that for the rest of my life,” said Bradley, who shot an even-par 70 in the first round. “I do feel like I owe New York one. Maybe I can give them something to cheer about this weekend.”
If there was any ill will from area golf fans for the letdown last fall, Bradley didn’t feel it while out on the course during the first round. At one point, he had a share of the lead when he eagled on the eighth hole to go 1 under.
“I never know what to expect,” he said of the fan reception. “I would understand if they were upset, but I didn’t get any of that. I haven’t really at all. I’m really thankful for that.”
One of the quirkiest pairings of the first two rounds had 54-year-old Padraig Harrington grouped with 17-year-old amateur Miles Russell.
Harrington won three major championships — 2007 and 2008 British Opens, and the 2008 PGA Championship — before Russell was born, in November 2008.
Russell, a Jacksonville, Fla., native who’s about to enter Florida State, shot a 2-over-par 72, bettering Harrington (7-over) and 2022 British Open winner Cam Smith (5 over) as the low man in the group.
“He played lovely golf,’’ Harrington said. “Two over par was the worst he could have shot. He hit it dead straight all day, didn’t really have himself in too much trouble at all, and probably could have been a couple better.
“At 17 years of age … I can’t remember what I was doing when I was 17 years of age. I’m sure it’s all ahead of him.’’
Russell embraced playing with a veteran like Harrington, saying, “It’s always good to play with a guy like that. Anything you can pick up from him — whether it’s the way he acts, the way he walks, the way he interacts with people — it’s always good to play with experienced guys.”
Asked what the best compliment he’s received from the pros this week has been, Russell said, “Maybe my demeanor. I like to think I’m pretty cool, calm, and collected … just kind of go with the flow. I smile a lot for the most part, whether things are going good or bad. It’s hard not to smile playing the U.S. Open at 17.”
Brooks Koepka didn’t play like he had been dealing with any sort of issue with his hand Thursday, though he sounded like he would have liked to have played better during his opening round, shooting 3 over par by the end.
Koepka shot for birdie on Nos. 5, 6 and 9, though he bogeyed twice and double-bogeyed twice. The 2018 U.S. Open champ said he putted “pretty good” but “didn’t do much too great after that.”
Koepka had entered this year’s U.S. Open dealing with a flare-up in his ulnar nerve that had created a tingly sensation in his ring and pinky fingers, which had impacted his ability to grip the club.
Among the locals competing in this year’s U.S. Open, Max Greyserman and Ben James had the best scores through the first round. Greyserman, a Short Hills, N.J., native, and James, who hails from Milford, Conn., both finished tied for fifth at 1 under par.
Fellow New Jersey native Chris Gotterup finished Thursday’s first round tied for 122nd with a 5 over par, and Brandon Wu, from Scarsdale, shot an 8 over par.
