Rickie Fowler Insists Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley Has To Pick Himself For Team USA | BMW Champ

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Speaking ahead of the BMW Championship, Rickie Fowler threw his support behind 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley possibly selecting himself for the team.

Fowler discussed Bradley’s leadership, the possibility of a playing captain, and his own bid to make the side as the 2025 FedEx Cup Playoffs continue.

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week in Memphis, which moved you up just enough to get here. How proud of you are how proud of you are of that effort and what it’s like to be here? Uh yeah, it’s definitely nice to to be back uh to one just getting into our postseason or the playoffs and then getting to move on to a second week. So, um yeah, knew what I needed to do last week and and nice to kind of it was it was good enough. Um it would have been nice to maybe give myself a chance to get into that playoff or have a chance to win, but um you know kind of the main goal going into the last week was to to have a tea time this week. So uh definitely happy with that and like I said, happy to be here. Have you had a chance to see the golf course yet and what are your first impressions? Uh it’s it’s a big place. It’s a it’s a good walk. Um you know, probably probably best for you guys staying here as much as you can. you don’t have to go out way out there as much. Driving range is fairly close. Um it’s yeah, it’s a good walk. I played 18 this morning. Um so going to be a full day, but um it’s a it’s a it’s a really cool place, cool piece of property. Um with what they’ve done here, cuz I was I was here back in we did a Walker Cup practice back here um quite a while ago now. Um, and the place has changed quite a bit from then. Obviously, has changed since uh the BMW is here a few years back, which I was not a part of. So, again, good to be here this week and and back in uh like I said, the the second stage of our postseason playoffs. And can you just share the state of your game as you try to make it to East Lake next week? Uh, well, I mean, I need a I need a another really good week. Um, I don’t know the exact numbers of all the ifands or buts, but um, I know I need to play well and um, we’ll see if we can go ahead and do that. Worked out like we talked about last week. Um, but yeah, we’ve been trending and heading the right direction and uh, be nice to extend the season a little bit more, but um, yeah, we’ll focus on just going playing some good golf and getting ourselves in in contention. All right, we’ll open it up to questions. If you have a question, you can raise your hand and we’ll bring you over a mic. We’ll start right here with Paul. Having gone through some kind of ups and downs in your game over the last couple years, do you relish kind of these runs when you’re consistently contending and playing well like you have the last, you know, month or two? Yeah. Well, I appreciate you calling it a a run because I haven’t even considered it a run yet and kind of just getting going. It’s been nice to have some some good finishes and start to, you know, at least head the right direction. Um, and kind of with the the timing in the season. Um, but yeah, I mean, going through, you know, plenty of tough years now if you look over the last kind of five, six years. Um, and I’ve had plenty of highs and I’ve I’ve seen the the lows. Um, yeah. I mean, the the tough times definitely, you know, make you appreciate when you are playing well and when golf seems can seem easy. Um, yeah, you appreciate those cuz you know they’re not going to last forever. Um, so take advantage of those when you can. And but I think that’s part of why some of us out here or all the guys out here for the most part. I don’t know why we love it so much, but it’s it’s the grind of it. And I mean, you can never perfect it. Um you know, there’s been a few guys that have gotten close, but um I feel like it always humbles you and and kind of brings you back to reality um maybe when you least expect it. Just kind of a underrated thing about making it to East Lake is you get that extra year of membership kind of tacked on at this stage when you have kind of been up and down a little bit. Is that something you think about just locking in another year of status? Uh not necessarily. I mean, yeah, those are those are bonuses. Um and you know there’s a lot of things that you you know want to achieve or want to accomplish but um kind of coming from where we’ve been struggling at times um kind of keeping the initial goals fairly simple or attainable and and reachable to start out with and those kind of start piling on uh as you knock one or two or three off. Um but yeah, there’s there’s bigger goals that are are want to be, you know, we want to take care of those, but um we’re still working on some of the the lowhanging fruit to to start with. We’ll go back here and then up to Bob. Hey Ricky, um as you have gone through the you know, so much success early on in your career, I don’t know if it seemed easy, may have felt easy at times to then get to the challenges that had come later. Could you have envisioned that early on? And it’s what have you learned from it? Um, no. I mean, it it’s never easy. Uh, there was definitely plenty of years where we had success. Um, and I think some of it too is dealing with the structure and game out here has also changed or evolved over years. Um, you know, the way the the tour was set up when I first came out, you know, is different from where things are now. I feel like the game is a little bit different, you know, from, you know, 2010 12 and then moving on to, you know, 2020 into where we are currently. Um, and so you have to kind of change or evolve with it. Um, where you’re going to get left behind. Um, so it’s it’s been fun. I mean, I wouldn’t be here doing it and chasing it and grinding if I didn’t didn’t love, you know, to, you know, the game in general, but to try and get the best out of myself and to go compete week in and week out. Um, yeah, I love the grind. So, um it it’s been fun, but like we talked about earlier, the the struggles, um you know, after I went through kind of the first bit of it, uh 21, 22, and then playing well in 23, uh looking back, sometimes the the tough years or those those down times, you enjoy those. Maybe not necessarily in the moment. Um because they they do suck, but um that’s when you I feel like you learn the most and you get the most satisfaction when you kind of overcome those hurdles or those times. Um so tough when you are going through it, but looking back um they’ve been some of the you most rewarding times to to have gone through that. We’ll go right here to Bob. Ricky, do you do you this uh playing playing with house money or you know, you know, happy to be here and and and fire away or or do you just treat it like like any tournament? You just do the best you can? Uh a little bit of both. I mean, obviously want to come here and and play well. Um but in a way, like like you said, kind of house money or back against the wall. I mean, I have to play well to to move on. Um, so it’s not like, hey, if you finish 30th, you get to go to the next week. No, you need to go play well. Um, so it’s pretty pretty simple. Um, and sometimes that that can be easier than, hey, well, if you finish in a two-way tie for 32nd, all of a sudden you shoot a few over the first couple days and you’re like, oh Um, yeah, like I said, I know what I need to do. Um, you know, coming off of, you know, having some good weeks and playing well last week. Um, you know, obviously playing against the the best players in the world, so it’ll be tough, but I like I like where I’m at and I like my chances going in. We’ll go to Doug. Ricky, did you know uh going into Memphis uh the the bare minimum you needed to have a chance? And did you want to uh I had an idea. I I didn’t I didn’t know all the full calculations, but I knew basically needed to be basically needed to be a top 10. Um, and there were, you know, some wiggle room of like a tie for whatever can’t be too much. Um, and I knew kind of going into Sunday that it potentially could down could come down to me and Kirky playing together. Uh, if we were around a similar spot and tied, I knew he was ahead of me on points going in. Um there’s there’s so many variables with, you know, how the points work and based on how other guys finish and if they make a birdie and how many points they get and the shuffling. So, um to kind of get back to answer your question, I had a general idea of what I needed to do. Um and luckily it was just good enough. Sec. Secondly, what was your what was some of your top goals going into the year? And did any of those goals change as the year went on? Uh I mean going into years there’s always you want to go you want to go win get in contention for me? Yeah, that that was general. Um, a lot of it was just making cuts, getting in contention, going and playing tournaments and and stringing together and kind of trying to build on things. Um, you know, looking farther would be you top 50 was a goal. Um, they got a little closer and would have liked to have been in a lot more of a comfortable spot. Um, you always look at tour championship or East Lake as a goal. Um, Ryder Cup was pretty far out there. Um, it’s that’s still a long ways out there. I I need to I need to play some some good golf this week to extend my potential to sneak in to even be in a conversation. Um, but those are those are kind of all general goals. Um, like I was talking about earlier, kind of starting with, hey, let’s go out and, you know, tea times on a weekend are good out here. Um, and kind of continue to build off those little things. We’ll go right here to Adam. Ricky, how much did uh making it this far change the way you’ll schedule uh tournaments in the fall? Um, we’ll see. I mean, I I love to play. I love to compete. Um I mean, I know I’ve talked about um you know, health stuff for like my body feeling decent. I I’ll need to do some little bit of um rest and recovery. Um so depending on when I get that time, that’s kind of my priority um this fall. Um, but being able to play the way I did last week to get into this week that, you know, secures a lot of things for me next year. And so I would going back to to fall, I’m not sure what or how much I’ll do. I I would love to go play in bunch, but um I need to work on the the body side of it first to make sure I can go play a bunch next year. and you’ve been in a lot of rival comp if if you were making choices. What would you be looking for these next two weeks from guys? Um obviously you want guys that are playing well or are trending that way. Uh I I mean two two big things that at at Beth Paige um obviously you’d like to look at all the stats and all the guys that being top in those categories, but I feel like driving the ball well um is is something that is is very beneficial or needed at Beth Page and obviously putting when it comes to match play to me. I would kind of be looking at those are the two areas I feel like seeing how guys are doing in those spots. Obviously, I can’t remember who all the guys that are necessarily in the mix of all that, but um yeah, current form, but if you’re diving into it, I think the driving and the putting are probably the two biggest parts that I would for me look at for place like Beth Page. All right, we’ll go to Paul. Is there a specific part of your game that you feel like has really come on recently that’s allowed the performances to kind of, you know, be the way they have? Uh, I feel like swing and and ball striking has continued to kind of get better. Um, I think some of just trying to keep things as simple as possible. Um, I guess it seems easy to explain, but like simple as far as not trying to do any not trying to do too much or not trying to be too perfect. um kind of taking what I’ve what I have. Uh I’ve been doing a good job of just managing me managing my way around the golf course. Um you know, last week was a is a a spot where you need to wear out fairways and greens and I felt like we did a a good job of that. And that’s about as e that’s the way you make that golf course as easy as possible. Um, so that’s that’s probably more the the mental and the management side has has been a big part. Have you caught yourself trying to be too perfect at at times recently? Yeah, I think it it it definitely happens. Everyone everyone can do it or get caught up in it at times. Um, you kind of look back like, why’ I try and do that? Um it’s it’s a lot easier when you’re, you know, walking up, you’ve you’ve hit a poor shot or not executed and you’re like, all I have to do is just hit this right here. Um sometimes you get a little caught up and like drawing like the perfect picture and trying to execute and how do I hit it close? Um you end up bringing, you know, maybe bogey or or double into play when from the outside looking in it’s like, well, why wouldn’t he just hit it here? Um, and so sometimes it’s it’s getting yourself to step back um, and not be in the the full like offensive aggressive at all times. All right, we’ll go over here to the right and then to Doug. Ricky, um, Patrick was just in here and he said if he were Keegan Bradley, the captain, he would pick Keegan Bradley, the player. Says he’s one of the top 12 guys. What’s your your thoughts on how he’s playing and position? Yeah, I would pick him, too. Um, I I don’t I think it’d be hard to find um really any or many Americans that would argue that point. Um, we’ll see. I know he’s maybe getting to the the area of the 1011 number on points of where he may think like, you know, is this a spot where I, you know, I should not pick myself? Um, I feel like a lot of times it’s there’s really only like one or two that maybe fluctuate, you know, based off of people that were maybe inside the top 12 on points that maybe don’t get picked. Um, like I said, I don’t I don’t think you’re going to find any or many Americans that are going to argue that he shouldn’t be on the team. Right, Doug. Ricky, I’m curious. Ne next next week at East Lake where all 30 guys who make it, all they have to do is win the tournament to be the FedEx Cup champion. Does that make them the seasonl long champion or the FedEx Cup champion? And what’s the difference? Uh, well, it’s it’s the depending on how you word it, it’s you’re winning the the tour the Tour Championship, the FedEx Cup, just kind of making it all one. I to me the the season long is a bit more of finishing up the the season at um or my view on it would be you know like Scotty obviously being I think he was up by nearly almost three wins on if you looked at points um and that’d be the the the seasonl long points and then the playoffs become the it’s the playoffs of it’s not always whoever had the best season necessarily wins throughout the playoffs, similar throughout other sports. Um, it’ll be interesting to see this year with everyone starting at zero. Um, to us it seemed obviously a lot easier to follow versus back trying to figure out all the point stuff and based off if someone makes four here or makes five, then these people could go to this spot and this guy goes up here. Um, or with the strokes that was always confusing cuz you had you had a regular tournament going on. Meanwhile, there was the staggered start. Um, and you had guys who actually won the tournament for for world ranking points, uh, while there’s something else, you know, playing for the tour championship or the FedEx Cup. Um, this seems like it just everyone’s starting zero. It’s simple. Um, and it’ll kind of be just a a battle to the finish. Ricky, can you talk about uh your team and um over here? Sorry. Gotcha. Uh, can you talk about Sorry. and your routine in between tournaments, what’s worked for you this year, what you’ve enjoyed out of that, especially with this ramp up now when it’s backto-back tournaments. Yeah, I think for me um a little bit of consistency is good or has been good with me on on body and and stuff. I’ve uh dealt with take when I’ve taken time off or too much time, it almost makes things worse so worse. Um so at the same time not doing too much or overworking my sorry myself. Um so between time spent in the gym that being kind of um kind of aware of like I said not doing too much. Um and especially through the last few months through the summer you still want to conserve energy start to get some some places that can be warm. Um, if I’m going to do longer days, it’s typically Mondays or Tuesdays. Um, kind of space that out from tournament days. Um, it’s, yeah, it’s tough. There’s a lot there’s a lot to try and squeeze in on, you know, prep days and and then tournament days. Um, and then spend also spending time with the family and having them on the road. Um, but all we have to do is hit a golf ball, so it’s not that bad. Um, so no, it’s it’s just it’s just a managing the the different parts and everyone’s different. Um, so I do what I feel like best for me. Um, you know, from here I’m going to go get in the gym for a little bit and then get some therapy and then we have a a pack meeting after that. So, um, I teed off at 8 this morning. So, this is a this is a pretty good day. Um, but luckily it was just a good walk around K’s Valley. I’m not complaining. Um, but yeah, it’s just it’s part of it. Um, so I think like I said, for me it’s it’s kind of the the management and making sure that not overloading. Just to follow up, how has it been to have your family uh travel with you throughout this and the balance of all that? Uh, it’s great to have the family with me. Um, you know, really the only ones um the girls basically stay uh in the States. They didn’t go to um over to Northern Ireland. Um but to be able to travel as a family as hopefully for at least a couple more years before school really starts going. Um we’ll take advantage of that while we can and um it’s it’s definitely fun to you know we rent houses for the most part. Um so to have a sense of normaly um they’re they’re pretty well traveled. I think our one-year-old um I can’t remember the exact number. She’s at like 15 or 16 different states now. Um so both both well traveled. Um so hopefully that’ll um serve them well later, but um they’re used to the one week somewhere and off to the next. Anyone else? All right. Thank you, Ricky. Good luck this week. Thank you. All right. All right. All right.