The 2025 Ryder Cup arrived at one Long Island club really early, long before the stands began going up at Bethpage Black. The roots of the upcoming matches reach back nearly 20 years at Wheatley Hills Golf Club , when a college golfer got hired to work in the bag room.

Keegan Bradley took the 10-hours-a-week gig in East Williston in exchange for practicing and playing privileges. He later admitted that his workday eventually consisted of about 25 minutes of actual work, if that. He still is eminently grateful for the boost that sent him on to the PGA Tour and ultimately to the captaincy of this year’s U.S. Ryder Cup team.

“He maintained his relationship with Wheatley throughout his career and he never forgot the people who helped him out,” said Dr. Glenn Muraca, a Wheatley Hills clu

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