Keegan Bradley has a very real chance of qualifying for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
Bradley was named as the Ryder Cup captain last year, but his exceptional form on the PGA Tour this season has meant that it looks like he will be playing on his own team.
Many top American players have already suggested that Bradley should definitely play at the Ryder Cup, despite the fact that he will be captaining the team.
And numerous American golf fans believe the recent appointment of Gary Woodland as a vice-captain was a hint from Bradley that he will be acting as a playing captain at the Ryder Cup later this year at Bethpage Black.
The upcoming Ryder Cup has the potential to be one of the most exciting yet, if not the most exciting.
Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
However, will Bradley really serve the roles of both player AND captain?
Many believe that could be an impossible task for the 39-year-old from Vermont.
Keegan Bradley said to have made ‘startling’ Ryder Cup admission
Bradley is now ranked inside the top 10 on the U.S. Ryder Cup points list.
If he finishes the season strongly, he will definitely be playing for Team USA at Bethpage Black later this year.
Will that be a good thing, or a bad thing though?
Jamie Weir of Sky Sports in the UK was a guest on the Rex and Lav podcast, and joined in the discussion about Bradley’s current situation.
Weir was asked whether it is possible to act as a playing captain at the Ryder Cup in this day and age.
“I do not believe he can in this day and age, no. I am sure he would tell you differently.
“I found it startling that after the Travelers, he came out at that press conference and revealed the fact that Seth Waugh called him up and said we want you to do both.
“That was the first time I had heard him admit that and I was like really why? I just don’t think in this day and age it is possible to do both.
“I think there are so many demands as a captain and so many things you need to A) have in place beforehand, which you can still do I suppose. But B) you need to be thinking of the hoof.
“If plan A is not working you need to have a plan B, C and D ready to go and the captain needs to make calls and the captain might be out on the golf course playing Rory McIlroy at the time.
“I think it is very difficult in this day and age. In fact, I think it’s impossible. But he is clearly one of the 12 best American golfers, that is unquestionable.
Photo by Gary Kellner/PGA of America via Getty Images
“Whether he still will be come September, who knows. I think he is in a situation now where his duty as a captain is to assemble the best 12 players, so he is letting his team down if he does not pick himself.
“It’s a very confusing situation. I don’t really know how they have got into this situation but the one man who will be smiling from ear to ear is the man who has been in his role for three years straight and has all his ducks in a row and has his backroom team assembled, and is probably going to have a very similar looking team to what he did in Rome, and that’s Luke Donald.
“So perhaps it’s just what the US need, conversely. Perhaps having this left field choice and having this captain who is such a talismanic figure who pumps his chest and wears that red, white and blue and who it means so much to is exactly what they need on the course.
“It’s fascinating to see how this whole thing plays out but I was quite astounded when he admitted in that press conference after the Travelers that this was actually the plan all along. This is what Seth and the PGA of America wanted. I found that extraordinary.“
Weir does have a point here. If it was indeed the plan all along to have Bradley act as a playing captain, the PGA of America have some serious questions to answer.
Keegan Bradley’s PGA Tour results in 2025
Bradley has been an incredibly consistent performer this season.
His results on the PGA Tour this season have been hugely impressive:
The reality of the situation now is that there are not 12 American players who are better than Bradley, with the Ryder Cup around two-and-a-half months away.
It would be a real shock now if he wasn’t a playing member of the team at Bethpage Black come September.
If Bradley does play at the Ryder Cup, it will be fascinating to watch everything unfold and see how the dynamic works.