So, in any case of that, Keegan Bradley didn’t choose himself.
After profitable one of many greatest occasions on the PGA Tour this 12 months, after climbing to eleventh on the planet rankings and the Ryder Cup rankings, he didn’t choose himself.
After statistically outperforming a number of members of his personal US staff up to now in 2025, he didn’t choose himself.
I believed he would, and you probably did too. He stored to his phrase from July 2024 when he stated he wouldn’t choose himself, regardless of publicly admitting he was having second ideas after profitable the Vacationers Championship in June.
“I grew up desirous to play Ryder Cups. I grew up desirous to struggle alongside these guys, and it broke my coronary heart to not play. It actually did – however finally I used to be chosen to do a job. I used to be chosen to be a captain,” he stated after selecting Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Younger, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns as a substitute.
Logic suggests Bradley made the right resolution. He can concentrate on being a captain now, as a substitute of making an attempt to each play and lead towards Europe at Bethpage subsequent month.
However you may evaluate this to taking an extended drive from level A to B, intentionally taking mistaken turns and backroads, ultimately arriving on the vacation spot in an anxious, sweaty state, after which taking credit score for it.
All the course of has been chaos.
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Keegan Bradley Captains Picks shocked golf followers
In Frisco on August 27, 2025, on the US captain’s picks summit, Bradley stated he was chosen to be a captain.
So why on earth did he strive as laborious as potential to not be?
After profitable one of many tour’s Signature Occasions that includes the most effective gamers on the planet two months in the past, Bradley revealed that the ex-PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh informed him that they needed him to be the primary enjoying captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963, when calling to nominate him as captain.
“This modifications the story slightly bit,” he additionally stated at TPC River Highlands. “I by no means would have considered enjoying if I hadn’t gained. This undoubtedly opens the door to play. I don’t know if I’m going to do it or not, however I actually need to take a fairly laborious have a look at what’s finest for the staff and we’ll see.”
From the get-go, it was orchestrated chaos and a seed was planted within the Vermont man’s thoughts that grew greater simply three months earlier than the Ryder Cup would begin.
That is somebody who has vowed he gained’t open a suitcase he was given on the 2012 Ryder Cup till he wins the occasion. A person obsessive about the Ryder Cup.
“I’ve bought to play very well to make the staff simply as if I wasn’t the captain. I had a really related 12 months at Rome and didn’t make the staff. I’ve to maintain going. I really want to play effectively this occasion after which within the Playoffs,” Bradley stated after capturing a bogey-free 67 within the second spherical of The Open Championship.
He supposedly drafted laws which stated a vice-captain might take over if he was a enjoying member. Europe and Luke Donald obliged. Why not? By no means interrupt your enemy when he’s making a mistake. There have been combined experiences about what alternative he’d make on the day.
Bradley isn’t going to play, however he fairly clearly needed to and really practically did. We are able to applaud Bradley for placing individuals earlier than himself, significantly rookies Griffin and Younger.
However we are able to’t overlook the will-he-won’t-he pantomime that led to this cliffhanger resolution, forward of an occasion each units of gamers would have you ever imagine they desperately need to win.
Whereas the roadshow rattled on every week on the PGA Tour, with every of our eyeballs scanning the leaderboard in search of Bradley’s identify, there was nothing however readability and a transparent aim for Staff Europe.
Two months after the 2023 Ryder Cup began, Donald was named because the 2025 captain. So good was his efficiency in Rome and as well-respected as he’s within the staff room, the blue and gold couldn’t snap him up shortly sufficient.
Europe aren’t excellent, however they’ve gained 10 of the final 14 Ryder Cups. They didn’t undertake a method of ‘appoint now, fear later’. Bradley was 5 captain’s picks deep into his media session one month earlier than the Ryder Cup, and we nonetheless didn’t know if he can be a enjoying captain or not. We nonetheless didn’t know what on earth was going.
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There’s a motive Justin Rose wasn’t chosen or entertained because the European captain for the forty fifth Ryder Cup matches, regardless of approaching the stage of his profession the place captaincy is on the playing cards.
He’s in his twilight at 45 years previous, however continues to be a world-class operator who has earned a spot within the continent’s dressing room for the seventh time.
There was by no means an opportunity of Europe placing itself on this spot. Is it as a result of Europe care greater than America concerning the Ryder Cup? Most likely.
For individuals who yawn at this recurrently harped trope, Bradley and Staff USA’s dealing with of all the factor is Exhibit A. He was named the Ryder Cup captain whereas ranked as the most effective gamers on the planet, touchdown him with the agonising activity of telling his contemporaries that they hadn’t made his staff.
Bradley was the sufferer of this very ordeal in 2023 when US captain Zach Johnson left him out. However because of the Netflix cameras being current at that precise second in each Bradley’s and Johnson’s households, Bradley appeared to harness sufficient sympathy from that second to be named captain himself.
Due to Full Swing, I’m now scripting this column.
Frequent sense most likely prevailed, however the trials and tribulations on the way in which aren’t worthy of reward.
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What do you make of the Keegan Bradley captains picks? Which gamers would you have got chosen? Would you have got appointed Keegan Bradley Ryder Cup captain within the first place? Inform us on X!
The submit Keegan Bradley’s shock resolution papers over the cracks of his absurd Ryder Cup captaincy appeared first on Nationwide Membership Golfer.
