Keegan Bradley has opted against becoming the first Ryder Cup playing captain since 1963. The United States captain named his eagerly awaited six wildcard picks on Wednesday, taking the difficult decision not to try to combine roles in New York next month.
Bradley is ranked 11 in the world but opted for others. Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns received the captain’s call. Bradley reflected on “the most incredible year of my life” as he announced his decisions during a media conference in Texas.
“The decision was made a while ago that I wasn’t playing,” Bradley said. “There was a point this year that I was playing and all these guys stepped up in a major way, playing their way on to this team.”
Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, JJ Spaun, Harris English, Russell Henley and Bryson DeChambeau had already qualified for the US team. Notable high-profile absentees from the US side are Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka, both of whom endured disappointing years.
Luke Donald, the European captain, will name his half dozen picks on Monday. The US will be seeking to win back the trophy they lost by 16 ½ to 11 ½ when the teams square off from 26-28 September in the 45th edition of the Ryder Cup.
This report will update