Ultimately, Keegan Bradley decided his case wasn’t strong enough to validate the extra pressure and scrutiny of being the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.
While established veterans and stars like Thomas, Cantlay and Collin Morikawa were expected to make the team — and Sam Burns is an experienced cup player who nearly won the U.S. Open in June — Cam Young and Ben Griffin represent new voices in the room.
Young is considered a perfect course fit as a distance-chasing bomber who ended the season with a win and a FedEx Cup playoff stretch bested only by Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood.
Griffin, on the other hand, may have been the final man on the team. On paper, Griffin has been the fourth-best American in strokes gained data and won two tournaments this summer to launch himself into contention. He finished top 10 at the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open and finished T10 at the Tour Championship last week. His breakout season was enough to convince Bradley.
Ultimately, logic prevailed. It would have been understandable — and defensible — for Bradley to pick himself. He is very good. He is experienced. He brings passion. But it doesn’t mean Bradley is so good that it validates making himself the entire focus of the week. It would be a monumental distraction in which a pretty good but not great player is the most scrutinized aspect in the biggest event on the calendar. It’s too much.
The good news for the U.S.: Griffin brings all the passion, swagger and energy that Bradley does, and he’s playing far better golf. Griffin is in great form, and he was born to perform and rile up New York crowds the same way the Justin Thomas types do so well. This is the best version of this team, and then the U.S. still has Bradley as an (uncompromised) leader.