Keegan Bradley has called on his United States team to summon the spirit of Tom Brady’s legendary Super Bowl comeback after confirming that Harris English would play no part in Sunday’s singles at Bethpage Black.
The American captain admitted it was “tough” to reveal English’s omission under the Ryder Cup’s rarely-used envelope rule, which was triggered after Viktor Hovland withdrew with a neck injury.
The rule, used only twice previously in Ryder Cup history, requires each captain to submit the name of one player before the singles matches.
If a player from the opposing team pulls out due to injury or illness, the named player is automatically stood down, with the match declared halved.
“It’s tough,” Bradley said. “It’s a strange rule, but we’ve got to go with what the rules say.”
Bradley revealed English took the news “so well” despite effectively being designated as the most expendable member of Team USA’s line-up.
“I’m really proud of him,” the captain said. “He’s been a great team-mate all week.”
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Viktor Hovland was forced to pull out of his Ryder Cup singles match
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English’s enforced absence was one of the few consolations for the Americans, who began the final day trailing 11.5-4.5 and needing a record-breaking comeback to win the trophy outright.
Europe required just 2.5 points to retain the Ryder Cup and three to win it outright – a mountain no team has ever successfully climbed from such a deficit in the 28-point era.
Despite the daunting challenge, Bradley struck an optimistic tone, urging his players to approach the task with freedom and belief.
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Harris English was unable to compete at the Ryder Cup on Sunday
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Drawing inspiration from one of sport’s most famous turnarounds, he told his team to emulate Brady’s New England Patriots, who overturned a 28-3 deficit to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in the 2017 Super Bowl.
“I was at that Falcons 28-3 – Tom Brady!” Bradley said. “We can be the Patriots today, why not? I told the players to remember how cool it would be when you were 16, to go out at Bethpage Black and represent your country.
“No matter the score, go out there and enjoy the day, win your match and don’t worry about anything else.”
While his rallying cry was heartfelt, history is stacked against the Americans.
No side has overturned such a wide margin since the competition expanded to 28 points in 1979.
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Keegan Bradley's Team USA have struggled at the Ryder Cup this year
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Only two teams have ever come back from 10-6 down going into the Sunday singles – the United States in the infamous 1999 “Battle of Brookline” and Europe’s “Miracle of Medinah” in 2012.
Bradley’s decision to stick with his pre-planned pairings throughout the week has drawn both praise and criticism, but the envelope rule was an unwelcome twist that underlined the uphill battle facing his side.
Whether Team USA can summon Brady-level heroics on Long Island remains to be seen, but Bradley insists his players will fight to the final putt.
If they don't, the rowdy spectators at Bethpage Black will certainly make their feelings known.