Ryder Cup star has never opened golf bag after 13 years with harrowing loss still stinging

Keegan Bradley will captain the USA when the Ryder Cup takes place next month but has still never opened the golf bag he had for the 2012 edition at Medinah - 13 years on from Europe's incredible comeback.

The Miracle at Medinah took place in Chicago and remains one of America's darkest days in the tournament with Bradley among the 12 men who failed to complete the job. They threw away a four point lead on the final day in a loss that still haunts the current captain.

The 39-year-old could yet play in this year's renewal at Bethpage in New York, but prior to this has only played in two tournaments. Both of those ended in defeat in 2012 and 2014, but it is the loss on home soil, when the Americans were so far ahead that stings.

So much so that Bradley has previously revealed he's never even opened the kit bag he was presented with for that tournament, making it clear he won't do so until he wins one.

He previously said: "I haven't opened since that Sunday. I promised myself I wouldn't open it till I won a Ryder Cup. That week changed my perspective on golf forever. The Ryder Cup suddenly became very important to me. During that week I had some of my best memories coupled with some of my darkest in my golf career."

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That loss at Medinah was Bradley's Ryder Cup debut and it came a year ago his one and only major triumph, when he won the US PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club. He formed an impressive partnership with Phil Mickelson during the opening two days.

The duo won all three of their matches prior to Sunday's singles. Bradley was then beaten by Rory McIlroy, but his individual record remained an impressive one in a losing cause. He then failed to make amends when the Ryder Cup took place at Gleneagles two years later.

The man from Vermont has been overlooked for the last four Ryder Cups but could yet be a playing-captain when the two teams square off in New York. That would make him the first skipper to take to the course for decades but he insists picking himself remains a possibility.

Bradley said last week: "It's a really strange thing to kind of ponder. Making the picks and thinking of picking yourself is ridiculous, it doesn't seem like reality sometimes.

"We're going to do the best we can to make the right decision and it is going to be controversial to certain people either way. I'm prepared for that. I'm confident with whichever decision I make its for the betterment of the team and we'll see."