Sky Sports Golf analyst Rich Beem heard something about Keegan Bradley ahead of the Ryder Cup that has made him “worried” about him.
Bradley, the Team USA Ryder Cup captain in 2025, has been the subject of speculation throughout the year. His performances have validated a position on the team, but will he pick himself to become the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963?
Bradley won the Travelers Championship and put in solid performances all season. But Beem is worried about the American captain.
Rich Beem ‘worried’ about Keegan Bradley after hearing he will play in the Ryder Cup
Rich Beem said that everything he is hearing from people suggests that Bradley will select himself to play in the Ryder Cup, and that makes him concerned for Bradley.
Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, he said, “From every indication that I’ve kind of heard, he has to [play]. This is where I’m worried about him playing, just to the simple fact that we know how sometimes the media, especially social media, can be a little harsh on you.
“If he decides to play, which I think he should, and he stays captain, the only good scenario he can have is if he plays well and the U.S. side wins. That’s the best case scenario. The worst case scenario is if the U.S. side loses and he doesn’t win a single point.
“That would be devastating. Even if the U.S. side wins and he doesn’t win a point, that’s going to raise a lot of questions.’Should he have done that?’, etc. I think it’s all about if you win or lose, to be fair, it doesn’t matter how he plays, but I think he’s taking a little bit of a chance.”
The Ryder Cup is always a pressure cooker, but never has the pressure been on the Americans like this year. They are on home soil in New York, and looking to avenge their embarrassing loss to Europe in Rome.
Europe pulled off a miraculous Ryder Cup comeback last time the competition came to New York, and Team USA will be looking to avoid crumbling under the weight of expectation and allowing that scenario.
They need their calmest heads on the course, and Bradley, a Ryder Cup veteran, is one of them.
How Keegan Bradley could play in the Ryder Cup, according to Rich Beem
If Bradley makes the bold call to select himself, he will then have to decide how to utilise himself across the three days.
With the likes of world number one Scottie Scheffler and LIV Golf and YouTube star Bryson Dechambeau on his team, he’ll have to decide who to pair himself with in the foursomes round. Bradley will also have to choose which format to compete in, and how often he’ll play.
On Friday and Saturday he would choose whether to participate in better-ball or alternate shot in the foursomes round, and whether he should play in the morning or afternoon. As the home captain, Bradley gets to choose when each round is played.
Then, he would choose what time to go out on Sunday for his singles round. It’s a complex decision for a captain as it is, and it’s made even more complicated should Bradley be a playing captain.
2002 PGA Championship winner Beem speculated on the decisions Bradley could make. He said, “I would imagine if he plays, it’ll be one session per day. And then obviously it’s singles and he’ll probably go out first one Sunday.
“I think that would be the only way that he could, because they still want to rally around the captain and he is officially the captain.
“I just don’t see him playing more than one session per day, and then he’s going to have to figure out where he’s going to play foursomes or four ball. And then does he sit out the morning and play in the afternoon on both days? Who knows?”
With the pressure already piled on Bradley and the USA, who want to win badly, he’ll be inviting even more scrutiny by picking himself. He has a lot of thinking to do between now and September.