U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley responded to Rory McIlroy’s comments about his ability to be a playing captain.
It’s the week of the BMW Championship, but a lot of the pre-tournament questions have been about the upcoming Ryder Cup in September. The captains don’t have long left to make their picks for the team.
The largest topic of discussion has been whether Keegan Bradley will select himself as playing captain. He is 10th in Team USA’s rankings and has been one of the 12 best Americans in golf this year.
Rory McIlroy said he doesn’t think it’s possible for someone to be playing captain in the modern Ryder Cup. Bradley, who has been considering picking himself for a year, took the time to respond to the world number two.
Rory McIlroy explains why he doesn’t think Keegan Bradley can be a playing captain at the Ryder Cup
McIlroy is fully focused on the Ryder Cup. He skipped last week’s St. Jude Championship, won by Justin Rose, in the build-up to the tournament, which he described as “the best event in golf” in 2023.
McIlroy revealed he has shot down any talks of him being a playing captain for team Europe. He explained why he thinks Bradley should do the same.
He said, “Because I don’t think you can do it. I just think the commitments that a captain has the week of. You think about the extra media that a captain has to do, you think about the extra meetings that the captains have to do with the vice captains, with the PGA of America, in Keegan’s case.
He continued, “Preparing your speech for the opening ceremony. There’s a lot of things that people don’t see that the captain does the week of the Ryder Cup, especially now that the Ryder Cup has become so big.”
Bradley faces immense pressure at the Ryder Cup. The USA look for revenge against Europe after they were humiliated in Rome two years ago. Rich Beem expressed concern for Bradley because of the scrutiny he would face as a playing captain.
But Bradley didn’t dismiss the possibility.
Keegan Bradley responds to Rory McIlroy’s Ryder Cup comments, ‘He might be right’
Bradley, who was urged by Rickie Fowler and Patrick Cantlay to be the playing captain, said that he was told he couldn’t have a good individual season as a captain. He instead won the Travelers Championship and is in the USA’s top 10.
He said anything is possible, but we are in unprecedented circumstances so McIlroy could be correct.
Bradley explained, “He might be right. We don’t know. No one knows. Everyone was telling me to start the year that a player can’t be captain and have a good year. I feel like this is one of the best years I’ve ever had.
“What I’ve done throughout my entire career is lean on other people for advice. Calling people and asking them, ‘How do you prepare for a major, what do you do for a last tee time or how do you deal with the media or corporate obligations.’ In this instance there’s no one to call.
“Nobody knows how this could work. I certainly have a lot of concerns as well as everybody else. But I have the most incredible vice-captains, including Jim Furick who has been on like 100 of these teams and been captain a bunch of times.
“Frankly, I’d be leaning more on them than any captain ever, even if I’m not playing. We’re ready for it if it happens. I’m not sure it’s going to. I can truly sit here right now and say I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Bradley said no one outside the top six can expect to make the Ryder Cup team. He also has a host of Ryder Cup rookies to choose from to put alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler and LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau.
He has other options should he want to take them, but few would argue Bradley hasn’t put in the performances this season to justify making the team.