Keegan Bradley near top of leaderboard at Bay Hill … but what about those fiery Ryder Cup comments?

ORLANDO — Maybe he would have been asked about it anyway, but for Keegan Bradley, the fiery U.S. Ryder Cup captain, there was no escaping the media after he seized the clubhouse lead Thursday in the opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Chilly air and gusting winds conspired with firm greens to make Bay Hill Club a chamber of horrors, especially for many of the early starters. Bradley, though, managed to cobble together four birdies against one bogey for a three-under 69, which was tied for the lead when he finished and left him two shots back of Wyndham Clark at day's end.

Nice round of golf, captain. We’ll ask you a few questions about it out of courtesy before we get to the good stuff.

“Geez, I hit the ball … just some days you get out on the course and they're just coming out right where you're looking. Today was one of those days,” the 38-year-old Vermont native said. “I think that this is the hardest course we play all year. I used to think it was Torrey, I think it's here now. The four par 5s and you're still, you know, really got it play well to shoot under par. Sprinkle in some conditions like this, it's really tough.”

OK, OK. Enough about the golf.

Reporters quickly segued to the real topic of interest—Bradley’s bulletin-board-worthy remarks captured in Episode 7 of the latest season of “Full Swing,” on Netflix. In the wake of the U.S. Presidents Cup victory over the International team last September at Royal Montreal, Bradley had a few things to say to his teammates about the upcoming Ryder Cup this fall at Bethpage State Park in Long Island, N.Y.

“I've been doubted my whole f***ing life," said Bradley, who secured the winning point for the Americans in Canada. "That's when I do my best work. We are gonna go to Bethpage to kick their f***ing ass.”

Turns out, it wasn’t something he necessarily wanted the Europeans to hear. He expressed surprise when his comments were made public in the episode.

“Listen, I thought I was in a locker room with my team. You know, that's what happens in a locker room. I meant no disrespect to the Europeans,” Bradley began. “This was a time that we had just won the Presidents Cup. I was in the locker room, and it was my turn to address the team. And I meant no disrespect, I was more speaking to our guys.

“I was a little surprised, yeah,” he continued. “I have to know that in this day and age, especially with cell phones, everything's being recorded. But that's who I am. That's me. I'm a pretty excited person. I'm very excited about the Ryder Cup. I think my enthusiasm towards the Ryder Cup showed there. It was meant for our team.”

Welp, too late now.

European captain Luke Donald will be inclined to remind his team of Bradley’s comments, regardless of the venue in which they were delivered, a few times between now and the 45th Ryder Cup Sept. 26-28. A few times every day, maybe?

Bradley tried to downplay how much fodder he might have provided the Europeans, who are coming off a dominating win in 2023 in Rome.

“I don't think the Europeans need any more motivation to win the Ryder Cup,” he said. “They're a special group of players, and the Ryder Cup means a lot to them. And when the Ryder Cup comes along, they really seem to come together and play their best golf. So I think that they're motivated enough to beat us.”

Though probably a little more so now.