The hype for the 2025 Ryder Cup is already high! After being elected as the captain of Team US, Keegan Bradley has been making headlines as the world will witness him as the youngest Ryder Cup captain, who will be 39 at the time of the tournament, since Arnold Palmer in 1963, who was 34 at the time.
With the decision to elect a younger captain this time, golf enthusiasts have been pretty supportive of Bradley as the US captain. Even Tiger Woods, who turned down the captaincy, encouraged and supported him. However, there is a pro golfer who is a bit disappointed with the decision: Stewart Cink.
In a video snippet of Stewart Cink’s interview on Tuesday at the 2024 Genesis Scottish Open, shared by NUCLR Golf on its official X handle (formerly known as Twitter), he expressed his disappointment after not being elected as the US team captain. In Cink’s words, “I’m disappointed that I wasn’t chosen to be the captain, of course. I was really hoping to be in that role.”
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Despite his disappointment, Cink praised Keegan Bradley’s achievements as a golfer and acknowledged his credentials: “The fact that Keegan’s never been any kind of assistant role or anything; he played on some teams and played some great golf, and he won a PGA Championship, those count a lot.” Adding to his stance, Stewart Cink shared his thoughts on why he believes a younger captain would be a better choice: “Younger, for sure. Maybe closer in age range to players who are going to be on the team could be a factor. Maybe they looking to change some things.”
Interestingly, fans were not too pleased about Cink’s rant. As per the comments that flooded the post, it was made clear that they were more than satisfied with the current captain’s choice. And they had Bradley’s back!
Netizens would never have Stewart Cink lead America
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Stewart Cink won his first and last major in 2009 at the Open Championship. Unfortunately, thereafter, he went stagnant. It wasn’t until almost a decade later that he won again. In 2020, he took home his 7th PGA Tour win at the Safeway Open and followed that with another (RBC Heritage). That inconsistency is what made this fan believe he wasn’t fit for the role. “No offense but Bradley deserves it way more. Outside of Cink’s out of left field resurgence in 2020-2021, he had been a complete non factor for a decade and a half prior.”
Echoing the sentiment of the other fan, another user took to X to express his views. However, he didn’t mince his words. Brutally points out that Cink was never someone anyone would have thought of to make captain; he wrote, “Did he honestly think he was in consideration?”
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At The Open in 2009 Cink defeated Tom Watson against all odds in a playoff to claim the major title. Watson, who was 59 at the time, was a huge fan favorite. The win would have been his ninth major, making him the oldest major winner in history. When he lost on the 4th hole of the playoff, however, more than jubilation for Stewart Cink, there were cries of upset for the veteran. And it seems like these fans still hold a grudge for exactly that. “Don’t beat Tom Watson and we would like him and he would have been RC Captain,” wrote one user, while another said, “Still mad at him for winning the ‘09 Open.”
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The captains of the Ryder Cup have usually been in their mid-40s or older. In recent instances, in 2023, the European captain, Luke Donald, was 46 and the American captain, Zach Johnson, was 47. The statistics for the 2021 edition were similar; the European captain, Padraig Harrington, was 50 years old, while the American leader, Steve Stricker, was 54. This time, however, Bradly breaks that trend, and surprisingly, the American fans are all for it. It turns out younger blood is just what they want. “Get young guys or passionate leaders. Not every 55 year old 1 time major winner needs to captain a team.”
The fans have given their verdict. How about you? Do you think Stewart Cink deserved to be elected as the captain for the 2025 edition of the Ryder Cup? Let us know in the comments below.
