Report: Rules official vowed never to return to Ryder Cup after Bradley F-bomb rant

A highly respected rules official reportedly vowed never to work another Ryder Cup after being subjected to a furious dressing down by United States captain Keegan Bradley during last year's showdown at Bethpage Black, according to a report.

Jeff Kiddie, a former PGA of America professional of the year and experienced rules official, was assigned to the opening match of Sunday's singles between American Cameron Young and Europe's Justin Rose.

Young eventually claimed a crucial point against Rose in an enthralling contest as Bradley's Team USA mounted an unlikely fightback, but the match was punctuated by a lengthy delay over a ruling on the 14th hole.

Rose's tee shot at the par-3 finished short and right before ricocheting off a hillside and coming to rest near a path, leaving officials with a complicated task as they attempted to get the Englishman back into play.

A lengthy delay followed as Kiddie and other officials worked to establish a valid relief area, with a further obstruction issue complicating the process.

PGA professional Chandler Withington recounted the incident on the Musings On Golf podcast.

"Now all of a sudden, we've got this traffic jam with the first match," he said. 

"Both captains right up to it, and Jeff's sweating, and he's doing his thing," Withington said.

"He's like, 'I've gone back and watched it 10 times. There's nothing I can do to even get 10 seconds off that process. It's what it is.'

"Anyway, they get Rose back in play. He actually gets a nice pitch shot up there to like three feet and halves the hole."

Withington alleged that Bradley then confronted Kiddie in an angry exchange.

"Keegan Bradley goes over to Jeff. He goes, 'What the f--- are you doing up here? F---ing up our whole deal, man. We're making this comeback. You're up here f---ing around?'"

According to Withington, Bradley confronted the official again as the players made their way down the 15th fairway and a third time at the green.

"He goes, 'You see what you f---ing did back there? Jesus, we're going to win this f---ing thing. You're all f---ing it up over here.' I mean, undresses him again," Withington said.

Withington added: "This is the PGA of America golf professional of the year of 2023. [He is a] man [golf] would hold on a pedestal," he said.

"[Keegan] probably doesn't even know who Jeff is, right?

"But you've got to undress one of our own three times because of your ineptitude for the first two days."

Withington said Kiddie had been left so disillusioned by the experience that he no longer wanted to work at the biennial contest.

"So Jeff Kiddie's like, 'Man, between the things that I heard said to the players on Saturday and this, I never want to be involved with the Ryder Cup ever again.'"

The alleged exchanges have not been independently verified.

Young defeated Rose 1up in their singles match. 

Luke Donald's Europe held on to secure an astonishing 15-13 away win. 

Bradley has since been replaced as the United States Ryder Cup captain by Jim Furyk, while Donald will attempt to become the first captain to win three in a row next year. 

Furyk told reporters this week that he deems his side the underdogs ahead of next year's Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland. 

He also fired a light-hearted dig towards Rory McIlroy, who was the only member of the European team not to attend a reconnaissance trip to County Limerick last month.