American golf fans are furious at Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley after rumours of a shock omission from Team USA’s team.
Now that the Tour Championship is in the books, full attention is turned to the 2025 Ryder Cup in New York. America is set to be the first to announce its six captains’ picks, and captain Keegan Bradley is under the microscope.
The biggest storyline surrounding Bradley is whether he will pick himself as the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963. Bradley is ranked in the top 12, and is considering an unprecedented decision in modern golf.
But an omission to the team he has been rumoured to make has angered fans.
Keegan Bradley rumoured to be leaving Ben Griffin off the Ryder Cup team
The talk at the Tour Championship wasn’t all centred around Tommy Fleetwood’s first PGA Tour win, as he lifted the FedEx Cup.
Instead, rumours circulated that Bradley plans to leave Ben Griffin off the team. Griffin is ninth in the Ryder Cup standings and has been in good form in 2025.
Griffin claimed his first PGA Tour win at the Zurich Classic, partnering with Andrew Novak to win the team-format tournament. He then went on to win his first individual PGA Tour victory at Colonial Country Club.
He has nine top-10 finishes in 2025, and finished ninth at the PGA Championship in his best major performance of the season.
Griffin has shown he can perform well in a pairing, alongside Novak, and as an individual on the biggest stage. Bradley said players cannot expect a place on the team if they are outside of the top six who automatically qualify, but Griffin seemed like a sure bet.
Instead, it looks like he could be left off the team, much to the anger of American fans.
Fans are furious at Keegan Bradley following Ben Griffin rumours
American fans raged at the idea of him not being selected to play. One fan posted to X, “If you leave Ben Griffin off of this team, then you are an absolute joke, Keegan. Do the right thing.
“He won a team event. He won a solo event. He’s arguably been the most consistent American golfer this summer other than Scottie.”
Bradley was a surprise pick for captain by the PGA of America. Many thought he was appointed captain to implement significant changes to the USA’s Ryder Cup process. Europe is 7-3 in the last 10 Ryder Cups, making it crucial for the Americans to protect home turf this year.
Fans were therefore particularly angry at the idea that instead of breaking the mould, Bradley would represent more of the same for the Americans by picking the same group of players as in previous years.
One fan said, “Keegs is about to pull a Daenerys Targaryen if he doesn’t pick Ben Griffin. He was selected to break the wheel of the entitled culture of the US Ryder Cup squad, only to turn out to be more of the same. I will not cheer for the US side if he screws him over as is rumored.”
Fans began to question the entire US Ryder Cup model following these rumours: “The Ryder Cup’s competitive model is so broken that the final 3 US picks likely won’t change anything.
“Still, if Ben Griffin—inarguably one of America’s six best golfers this year—doesn’t make the team, it’s time to seriously reconsider how this process works”
Another suggested that two-time major winner Collin Morikawa, who has been in poor form for an extended period of time now, should be off the team, and if he is picked over Griffin, it would simply be favouritism.
They posted, “If Ben Griffin doesn’t make team while Collin Morikawa makes the team, I will straight up root for Europe. Any idea of this sport in this country being a meritocracy will be dead to me.”
One fan went as far as to call Bradley a traitor if he leaves Griffin off the team. They said, “If Keegan leaves out Ben Griffin he’s up there with Benedict Arnold in greatest American traitors.”
Another added, “People getting ready to lose their minds if Ben Griffin doesn’t get picked (I’d be surprised also)”.
Bradley’s captain’s picks are set to be announced on Wednesday, August 27th. Be ready for fireworks, no matter his decision.