This is not difficult. For all the ritual weights we attach to the Ryder Cup, the heart-pounding and cam-getting attitude of all, this is a fundamentally friendly exhibition, and its only true interests take pride in the moments and legacy that will come.
Certainly, pride and legacy are the heartbeat and eternal soul of golf. So I think Keegan Bradley, the captain of the Ryder Cup team, might be a bit hesitant to choose himself as a member of his team. What would you do if a US team loses? What if the pairing approved by Bradley is horribly wrong? What happens if Bradley himself plays poorly?
advertisement
Counterpoint: What happens if America wins? What happens if Bradley becomes a golf legend?
(Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football League for the 2025 NFL season))
Sports in general, golf in particular are very risk-averse, so there is a deep reluctance to doing something just because it’s cool. Let’s be honest: Does Keegan Bradley lead the US team while serving as the first player captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963? That would be cool. Bradley’s claim both Captain and player slots are two years after suffering the most humiliating gratitude, but are you grateful to the main in golf history? It’s definitely cool. Has Bradley led the US to victory next month in front of a raucous partisan crowd on Beth Page Black on Long Island? Perfectly, it’s surprisingly cool.
But beyond the coolness factor, there are defensible statistical reasons to choose Bradley. He is No. 11 in the official world golf rankings, both of which have achieved massive success. He finished seventh in the FedEx Cup standings, earning victory in 21 events this season and six top-10 finishes. He ranks 12th on the PGA Tour for his overall strokes, with the top 10 interior of the strokes taking both green and around the green from the tee. There’s a better putter than Bradley in slot hunting – Sam Burns comes to mind – but Bradley brings an overall package that rivals any of the others competing for the team’s final six slots.
US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley will be making six captain picks on Wednesday. (Photo by Anthony Behar/PA image via Getty Images)
(Pamage by Anthony Behar – Gettty Images)
The logistics of the role of the player captain are undoubtedly tricky. The Captain Ryder Cup is like preparing to shoot every college exam for four years at once on the A-Plus-or-Failure scale. From each player’s unique quirks to the brand of balls used, the details are merely exploring. (For example, very useful information when configuring Foursomes pairing.)
advertisement
But that’s why Captain has a vice captain, and that’s why Captain has a literal year to prepare for this moment. Bradley can (and hopefully) set up an entire tree of contingency plans for every scenario, every potential score for every potential score. He may not play more than two or three rounds of Team Golf, and by the time the singles unfold on Sunday, there’s nothing the captain does anyway, but you can see how it unfolds.
This is literally the best case scenario, and in reality, the only case scenario – the Play Captain makes sense. Homefield advantages are so immeasurable in the Ryder Cup that they essentially neutralize almost every other assets and elements of team construction. The home team won eight of their last nine Ryder Cup matches and eight of 11 of the last 13 matches. Bradley plays in front of the friendly crowd as possible. He’s a man from the Northeast and I’ve heard “America!” Last year, chants followed every fairway. Additionally, at some point the player must play. I’m not saying that I can set up a lineup of Ryder Cups and get 8 or 9 out of 28 points, but we’re not do not have Both say it.
advertisement
“No matter what decision I made here, I could have easily gone elsewhere,” Bradley said after finishing his final round at Sunday’s Tour Championship. “The only thing I care about is winning the Ryder Cup on Sunday, and then I know I made the right decision.
Yes, there’s a risk that Bradley could end up as a goat rather than a Ryder Cup goat. The captain is always responsible when a team loses. But if the US can’t figure out how to win in home soil alongside Scotty Schaeffler and other World Beaters in the lineup, the problem will be much deeper than the 11th player on the roster.
Keegan, do that. Choose yourself and become a legend.
