Players Championship contender weighs in on Keegan Bradley's Ryder Cup heartbreak comments

Xander Schauffele appeared to indicate he is moving on faster than Keegan Bradley after Team USA's Ryder Cup defeat. 

The United States looked destined to be on the receiving end of a heavy defeat last September before mounting a stirring comeback on the final day. 

In the end, Europe held on to win the trophy at Bethpage Black in New York for a second time in succession. 

The 15-13 defeat has taken its toll on US captain Keegan Bradley, who claimed a month after the contest that there was "no part of me" that believed he will ever get over it. 

Six months later and Bradley's mood hasn't shifted. 

Speaking to a group of reporters at the Players Championship having fought valiantly to make the cut, the 39-year-old American admitted life was still difficult. 

"I'm still heartbroken from the Ryder Cup," he said. "So I am trying my best to separate myself and move on but it's hard. I think about it a lot. 

"I think about the guys a lot and I’m still in the process of getting past all that.

"Unless you're a captain of the Ryder Cup team, you just have no idea what goes into it and the emotional toll that it takes on you.

"I think like a lot of guys that do it, they’re basically done playing. I'm the first person to have to deal with this, get back out there, try to be one of the best players in the world and make the next team. 

"So I'm still navigating how to do that. But it's on my mind."

Schauffele heads into the weekend at the unofficial fifth men's major of the year very much in contention. 

The two-time major champion is two adrift of 36-hole pacesetter, Sweden's Ludvig Aberg, and appears to be finding his groove just in time for The Masters. 

Asked about Bradley's comments and whether he finds it difficult to move on from big defeats, team or personal, Schauffele struck a different tone. 

"I'm a pretty like happy-go-lucky guy for the most part," he said. 

"So not really. Kind of. I'll get over it, once I start kind of practicing again and getting back into the swing of things. 

"Or if I, you know, hang out with some friends I'll just forget about it eventually."

Bradley not ruling out captaincy return

Bradley also told reporters he would accept the captaincy in the unlikely event the PGA of America offer him the role again. 

Tiger Woods has been asked by the governing body to succeed him and they have given the 15-time major champion a soft deadline. 

Ideally, they would like an answer before next month's Masters. 

Woods, 50, said he is still trying to figure out if he can juggle the captaincy with his other responsibilities. 

"They have asked me for my input on it and I haven't made my ­decision yet," Woods said in February. 

"I'm ­trying to ­figure out what we're trying to do with our [PGA] Tour. 

"That's been driving me hours upon hours every day and ­trying to figure out if I can actually do … our Team USA and our ­players and everyone that's going to be involved in the Ryder Cup, if I can do it justice with my time.

"Serving on two boards and what I'm doing for the PGA Tour, I'm ­trying to figure out if I can actually do this and serve the people that are involved and serve them at an honourable level."

Bradley said he would accept the job again if he were given the chance for redemption. 

"But I don't know if that’s on the cards," he said. 

"I think any Ryder Cup captain that loses would like to do it again. But that's not up to me.

"I think that the distraction of me playing, maybe playing isn't really what the position is about. 

"So who knows in the future."