With the FedEx Cup playoffs looming on the PGA Tour, Keegan Bradley will be aware that time is running out for him to make his decision on the six players he will pick to complete his team at the Ryder Cup.
As things stand, only Scottie Scheffler has already qualified on the American side for the Ryder Cup. However, there is surely no chance at all that Xander Schauffele, J.J. Spaun, Bryson DeChambeau, Russell Henley and Harris English will not be at Bethpage. Keegan Bradley has already confirmed that DeChambeau will be involved.
Of those currently outside the top six, it is hard to see how Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa do not play. Meanwhile, Bradley’s own case was strengthened significantly by his win at Travelers Championship.
Cameron Young, Ben Griffin, Maverick McNealy, Andrew Novak and Chris Gotterup are among those hoping to make their debut. But the likes of Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Sam Burns and Wyndham Clark have experience, which could be crucial in the cauldron that is Bethpage.
Keegan Bradley issued with a warning ahead of the Ryder Cup
But there is another name who will certainly be discussed by Bradley and his team over the coming weeks.
It has been a strange year for Jordan Spieth upon his return from injury. He has arguably become a much more consistent performer on the PGA Tour. However, that has not translated into notable success this season, with just four top 10s.
Spieth is 48th in the FedEx Cup standings. So he will have an opportunity to shine in the coming weeks. However, speaking on Fried Egg Golf, Andy Johnson suggested that he is currently baffled by the notion that Spieth could end up in the team.
Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images
“If they roll out Spieth and he doesn’t do anything for the next couple of weeks, if they play their buddy ball, the fans are going to have the knives out,” he said.
“The Spieth selection is wild. He’s 27th in Ryder Cup points. He might not make it past the first week of the playoffs. If it wasn’t for sponsor exemptions, he wouldn’t even be in the playoffs.
“This is the thing, this is where the Spieth thing just does not make sense, how you could put him on this team. He’s 27th in points, and in between there you have guys that are playing quantitatively good golf.
“You’ve got Cameron Young, you’ve got Gotterup, you’ve got Wyndham Clark starting to play better. And Wyndham Clark’s won a major this decade. You have so many guys that are actually playing good golf.
“I don’t understand how the numbers are saying that Spieth is playing good golf, because when I roll down his list of accomplishments, it’s like T35, T22, T38. I don’t understand the numbers and how Data Golf has him so highly thought of.”
Jordan Spieth’s Ryder Cup record as he eyes a sixth appearance at Bethpage
Spieth appeared to be one of those players who would be a mainstay on the Ryder Cup team for well over a decade after his first couple of appearances in the event. Of course, he formed an amazing partnership with Patrick Reed.
And it initially appeared that his partnership with Justin Thomas was going to prove to be just as important for USA as they won three points in France in 2018.
However, Spieth has won just 2.5 points across the last two Ryder Cups, having won just one of eight matches in that time. So it does not seem that the three-time major champion is someone who manages to raise his game for the biggest stage regardless of the form he is in.
Ryder CupJordan Spieth’s recordPoints won20142-1-12.520162-2-12.520183-2-0320211-2-11.520230-2-21
Spieth has had a year which he really could build upon. However, it is definitely a stretch to claim that he has done enough to earn a spot on this Ryder Cup team.
There will be plenty of players who will have reason to be frustrated with Bradley if Spieth gets the nod ahead of them.
