United States captain Keegan Bradley admitted he was heartbroken after choosing not to play in next month’s Ryder Cup.
Bradley, who has been in excellent form on the PGA Tour, had considered giving himself a wild card into the 12-man team that takes on Europe at Bethpage Black in New York.
It would have seen him become the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.
Bradley & The Boys Are Ready for Bethpage Black 🏆🇺🇸#GoUSA pic.twitter.com/CxSmzjDdUm
— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) August 27, 2025
However, he ultimately opted against the idea and chose Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns as his six players to join automatic qualifiers Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau.
The 39-year-old said: “The decision was made a while ago that I wasn’t playing. This was a really tough decision.
“I would say there was a point this year where I was playing and all these guys stepped up in a major way and played their way onto this team.
“And that’s something that I’m really proud of and something that I really wanted.
“It just broke my heart not to play. It really did, because you work forever to make these teams, but ultimately, I was chosen to do a job, I was chosen to be the captain of this team.
“And my ultimate goal to start this whole thing was to be the best captain that I could be.
Bradley has had six top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season (Mike Stewart/AP)
“If we got to this point and I felt like the team was better with me on it, I was going to do that. I was going to do whatever I thought was best for this team.
“And I know 100 per cent for certain that this is the right choice.
“Monday was tough for me. I was just alongside the guys that didn’t make the team. I was moping around, I was bummed out, but quickly you realise what a dream it is to be a Ryder Cup captain.”
The ‘will he, won’t he’ saga of Bradley’s possible selection has been a hot topic of debate that has transcended the sporting world, with American president Donald Trump offering his opinion that the captain should also play.
It came after an excellent year which saw him win the Travelers Championship in June and post six top-10 finishes on tour.
Bradley added: “That was really surreal. Any time you get the support of the President of the United States is really surreal and stunning.
“So I really appreciate it. Mr President, I hope you’re not disappointed.
“When you see stuff like that you start to wonder how we got to this point in my life. But I was really honoured, deeply, deeply honoured to have him say that.”
Thomas, who was one of the six to be picked by Bradley, said the decision would be worth it if the United States could win back the Ryder Cup after they were beaten in Rome in 2023.
“He’s gutted. I think all of us are gutted for him,” the three-time Ryder Cup player said.
Cruisin’ along— All roads from here lead to Bethpage Black 🏆#RyderCup pic.twitter.com/7MoHeA4bom
— Ryder Cup (@rydercup) August 25, 2025
“But at the same time, I would say him leading us to victory would be cooler than any experience you could have as a player and that’s probably what he feels like is best for us.
“We have all the faith in the world and we don’t doubt him for one second.”
Europe captain Luke Donald will name his six wild card picks on Monday, with Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Rasmus Hojgaard and Tyrrell Hatton already qualified ahead of the tournament, which takes place on September 26-28.
