Keegan Bradley will lead the United States Ryder Cup team to Bethpage Black in September, but could also feature as a player after his victory at the Travelers Championship
Keegan Bradley will captain Team USA(Image: Getty Images)
Keegan Bradley has admitted that he is ready to balance his captaincy role alongside playing for the United States at this year’s Ryder Cup in September amid calls for Tiger Woods to take over from him.
Since his appointment, talk about Bradley making the 12-man team has been rife, and his victory at the Travelers Championship on Sunday only helped his cause. The American pipped a heartbroken Tommy Fleetwood at the Travelers, who once again fell short of winning his maiden PGA Tour title.
Unsurprisingly, talk in the aftermath of Bradley’s win quickly turned to what the 39-year-old will now do with the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black now just three months away.
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And with the help of his vice-captains, the world No. 7 is ready to balance both roles. “I never really planned on playing,” he said following his win last weekend. “Now, with the amazing vice-captains I have, I feel a lot more comfortable if I went that route.
“I had this epiphany at the US PGA Championship when I was getting these loud ‘USA’ cheers. I don’t think any player in the history of the game has experienced what I’m experiencing in that I’m a Ryder Cup captain, in my eyes still one of the best players in the world, trying to win majors and tournaments, coming down the stretch of a tournament.”
Bradley has long hoped to return to the Ryder Cup as a player, having not featured since 2012. And it could now well come along when he least expected it. “It’s the lowest I’ve ever been in the world. When they called me and told me that I was being the Ryder Cup captain, the first thing they said was, We want you to be the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1962.
Bradley snatched victory from Tommy Fleetwood on the 72nd hole at TPC River Highlands(Image: Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)
“And I mean my head was spinning, I didn’t know what they were talking about, but they knew that that was a possibility and that we would have things in place for that. But you know I’m always trying to be the best that I can be, and I feel like I’m playing the best golf of my career right now.
“A year ago, I don’t know if I would have thought I would be 7th in the world, but I certainly thought I would be, you know, contending in tournaments.” Bradley took on the role after Woods opted not to become captain despite an offer reportedly being on the table.
After Bradley’s win last weekend, golf fans were quick to take to social media and call on Woods to take over. The 82-time PGA Tour winner is expected to be on hold until the American team returns to European soil at Adare Manor in 2027.
For now, the decision lies on the shoulders of Bradley, who has previously reiterated that he will only take part as a player if he qualifies automatically. Currently sitting ninth in his team’s list, the top six players will earn an auto spot, with 10 qualifying events left to play, including The Open Championship.
