Keegan Bradley opts to not be Team USA Ryder Cup playing captain

Keegan Bradley opted not to select himself as a playing captain for Team USA in the Ryder Cup next month.

Instead, the 39-year-old went with Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay, and Sam Burns as his captain’s picks.

Rory Mcilroy said earlier this month that he felt it would be too difficult to be a playing captain, saying that he turned down the idea for the future. When asked about McIlroy’s comments, Bradley appeared to have no desire to prove him wrong.

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“The decision was made a while ago that I wasn’t playing,” Bradley said, adding that he was 100% certain this is the right choice.

“I am not worried at all about what they do or say. I care about our team. Not quite sure how he would know. I said through this process I wish I could call Arnold Palmer and get his advice. The simple fact is the Ryder Cup is a different animal than it was in the 60s… I said through this process I was going to do what was best for the team, and  this was the decision I thought was best.”

Bradley participated in both the 2012 and 2014 Ryder Cups (both of which were losses). In 2023, he was the 11th-ranked U.S. golfer (12 players make the team), but Sam Burns, Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas were chosen over him (Cameron Young was also skipped over despite ranking ninth).

The Ryder Cup trophy is seen at the Bethpage Black Course, host of the event, on Sept. 19, 2022, in Farmingdale, New York. (Gary Kellner/PGA of America via Getty Images)

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But in July of last year, it was announced that Bradley would take Zach Johnson’s spot as the Team USA captain.

Chatter of being a playing captain got loud after Bradley won the Travelers Championship, a tournament he won in 2023, in insanely clutch fashion. He birdied the 18th while Team Europe mainstay Tommy Fleetwood bogeyed. That put him in the top-10 of FedEx Cup points, and he recently impressed with a T7 finish at the Tour Championship – he is currently the 11th-ranked player in the world.

President Donald Trump put his support behind Bradley as playing captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup Team on Saturday night.

“Keegan Bradley should DEFINITELY be on the American Ryder Cup Team – As Captain!!!” the president said. “He is an AMAZING guy. It will be a great Ryder Cup. At the invite of the PGA Tour, I will be there on Tournament Friday!!!” 

The Ryder Cup trophy at Bethpage State Park Black Course on June 6, 2016, in Farmingdale, New York. (Gary Kellner/PGA of America)

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Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, J.J. Spaun, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau all automatically qualified.

The Ryder Cup will begin on Sept. 26. The road team has not won since 2012 with the Miracle at Medinah, with each of the last five Ryder Cups being won rather convincingly by the home team.

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