This year’s Ryder Cup matches have taken a number of twists and turns. The upcoming biennial tussle between the USA and Europe started off with the most pressing question – who would captain each side?
Europe quickly went forward in securing Luke Donald for a return given his skill in guiding his team to a convincing triumph in Rome in 2023.
The USA side was far more complicated. Before the emergence of LIV Golf, it appeared the natural fit would have been Phil Mickelson to skipper the team. However, when the six-time major winner bolted from the PGA Tour that long expected coronation was forever aborted.
The next option for the PGA of America was to explore locking down Tiger Woods. The connection to host site Bethpage was front and center with the 15-time major winner won the first publicly-owned US Open in 2002 at the Long Island, NY venue.
Woods was courted heavily but declined given the time commitment needed to serve in such a role.
The quandary for the PGA of America was securing a player who could check a number of key boxes. Seth Waugh, then the CEO for the PGA of America, floated the name Keegan Bradley and the recommendation, after a short amount of discussion, secured agreement.
Bradley was stunned during his call with Waugh who offered him the position and the 39-year-old quickly accepted.
The situation with Bradley has become more complicated. Just two weeks ago he won for the second time in three years at the Travelers event in Connecticut. That win places him now in the 9th points position for team USA. The top six finishers are automatically selected to the team. The remaining six are picked by the captain.
During his announcement as captain in late 2024, Bradley stated emphatically he would not select himself with one of the Captain’s picks.
The last time an American player participated as a playing captain came in 1963 with Arnold Palmer at the helm at the age of 34. However, the Ryder Cup matches of that era were a far different animal than what is now the case.
The intensity of the matches has skyrocketed in recent years. The pressures on the respective captains necessitated each team to selected several vice-captains to assist in the various decisions made on who plays and who is partnered with whom.
The deadline to accumulate points is August, 17 when the BMW Championship concludes. Bradley could clearly finish in the top six slots but would he then select himself to be of the choices?
Bradley did not rule out not playing if he makes the USA squad by points. But the bigger issue is can any person serve in such dual roles? And should Bradley select himself the level of scrutiny would only rise to a level of intensity far beyond all recent matches.
Since the Captains have the final say on what line-ups they announce the inevitable questioning will happen once Bradley place himself in a match. And given the Ryder Cup features two-man teams in four-ball and foursomes play during the first two days of the event, the examination of who he would be paired with will be under the microscope too.
The other aspect that impacts any captain is the often overlooked and undervalued need for time management throughout the contest.
The captain for each team is bombarded by a myriad of time-consuming matters and the wherewithal to keep the minutia in place before things spiral out of control is a constant issue of concern. Yes, the vice-captains can assist but when the captain has to decide when he plays and who he plays with it can add a level to pressure that goes beyond what the most recent captains have faced.
Can Bradley manage all the demands and emerge unscathed?
In any Ryder Cup match the ups and downs are a constant item of focus and second guessing without having the added role as an actual participant. Media is always probing for what is happening within the respective team rooms and managing the flow of information while being able to apply total focus on all situations is no small feat of accomplishment.
If Bradley does finish in the top six in the points standings he will still have to decide if his playing in the event will help or hinder the USA from reclaiming the Cup. If he opts to play and the USA were to lose on home soil it is nearly certain that a clear pushback will happen in certain quarters that Keegan overextended himself.
What is clear is that winning Captains often get too much credit for success and conversely, those on the losing side get too much blame for the defeat.
Ryder Cup matches always come down to the successful play of the participants. Yes, there is chemistry in the four-ball and foursomes matches but if players don’t execute when called upon then who the respective Captain is makes little difference. However, the possibility that Bradley may be an actual player in the event does open up a number of intriguing storylines. The key for Keegan is does his personal intersection become too much of a distraction for him personally and his team collectively?
There is no easy answer on this matter. Ironically, in 2023 Bradley was not picked as a Captain’s pick by Zach Johnson, Bradley was clearly taken aback by the lack of confidence by being snubbed and now the shoes are on his feet to make a number of difficult choices.
Looking in the mirror can be a hard thing to do. Sometimes you don’t see the actual reflection – you create the illusion of one to create the view you wish to see.
The issue of whether Keegan Bradley plays or doesn’t will sort itself out in the next several weeks. What is clear is that the best interest of Team USA will need to be uppermost. If Bradley can crack the top six positions on points, then his playing should be accepted because he earned it where it counts — on the golf course. If Bradley falls outside the top six and stands by his decision not to pick himself then all will be fine too.
The overriding goal for team USA is getting its hands back on the Ryder Cup. Bradley has shown a desire to insert new players into the American line-up. The same old faces that failed to produce time after time are now clearly in the permanent rear-view mirror.
The stakes are that high.
And no one realizes that more than Keegan Bradley.
