US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley said he is “talking about” making a Ryder Cup move that hasn’t been done in over 60 years.
The 2025 Ryder Cup in New York is fast approaching, and Bradley has some key decisions to make. There are only a few events remaining in the golfing calendar for players to rise up the rankings and make their case for Ryder Cup selection.
Team USA look to avenge their Ryder Cup loss to Team Europe last time, which was a humiliating event for the Americans. And in order to do so, Bradley is willing to take drastic measures.
Keegan Bradley wants to be the first player/captain since 1962
Bradley revealed that he has been talking about the eventuality of playing in the Ryder Cup as captain. The top six in the rankings are granted automatic qualification to the team, and that is Bradley’s aim. That would make him the first Ryder Cup player/captain since Arnold Palmer in 1962.
Speaking to the Golf Channel, he said, “If I wasn’t the captain, that’s what I would want to do. I’m focused on being the captain right now.
“I want to play on the team but we’ll see. I’m just another player that wants to play on the team, but if I’m not in the top six then I can’t expect to be on the team.”
The American has been consistent about players outside of the top six. Before The Open Championship, Bradley said players can’t expect to be picked if they are outside of the top six, and he is applying himself to that philosophy.
It seems he plans to play his way into automatic qualification, but that still begs the question: would he pick himself?
Keegan Bradley has been talking about making the US Ryder Cup team for a year
2025 has been one of the best years of Bradley’s career. In June, he took his eighth PGA Tour win at the Travelers Championship, beating Tommy Fleetwood on the final hole.
He is seventh in the FedEx Cup standings entering the final PGA event, and he’s tenth in the Ryder Cup rankings for Team USA.
Bradley’s play justifies a place on the American Ryder Cup team. But as the youngest captain since Arnold Palmer, it puts him in an awkward situation should he finish outside the top six.
He said he has been preparing his Vice Captains for this eventuality for a year. Bradley explained, “We’ve talked about it for about a year now in case this could happen. We have a lot of great vice captains. I’m most proud of the guys I’ve chosen for this role.
“They’ve really stepped up in their own individual way, to make our team better. Whether I play or not those guys are going to be great for us.”
If Bradley plays on the Ryder Cup team while serving as captain, his Vice Captains will assume his key responsibilities. One designated vice-captain would act as captain during sessions where Bradley is competing. That would likely be Jim Furyk, who has experience as Ryder Cup captain in 2018.
Bradley clearly trusts his team, but would he be gutsy enough to pick himself to Team USA? It would be hard to argue he doesn’t deserve to, and with Team USA fired up and out for revenge, the players will want the best in the world on their side.