Since the very moment Keegan Bradley was announced as captain, I have been a reliable … skeptic … of the entire process. Not hater, not doubter, but noble, honest, upright questioner. Or something like that. And I stand by it, because the entire thing has been by turns puzzling and weird and dramatic and ridiculous. I thought it was a bizarre choice last year, a month ago I wrote that it had put him in a predictably terrible spot and in the last two Stock Watches, I hammered home the point that his decision grew harder by the day and that he’s probably the only captain in the world who could leave himself off the team this year.
Today, as we wait for Keegan Bradley’s final three captain’s picks on Wednesday, I remain a skeptic. But I also must tip my cap, because like Keegan Bradley himself, I didn’t see his T-7 performance at the Tour Championship coming. After he won the Travelers in June, everything about his game went pretty much according to my expectations, in that the pressure of trying to put a stamp on his captain’s pick bona fides while also doing all the logistical responsibilities of a Ryder Cup captain would combine to ensure mediocrity, at best, as we came down the stretch. That’s basically what happened, until impressed at East Lake. I think he probably would have wanted a slightly higher finish just to really certify his candidacy, but the fact that he got close at all is a massive PR coup if does end up picking himself.
Let me put it this way: After the Tour Championship, he has every right to pick himself. Do I still think it’s dumb to split playing and captaincy obligations for a dozen different reasons, and do I still think it might lead to disaster at Bethpage? Yes. But in terms of the nuts-and-bolts “does this guy deserve to make the team?” question, and to answer the question in the headline, I now believe Bradley has more than justified his own inclusion. It’s green light city, baby.
Here now, two days before the team is set in stone, we present the final stock watch on the American side. Use the rankings as you will.
Auto-Locks: Gold-Plated Stock Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English, Bryson DeChambeau
You knew this. Here’s a fun prop bet, though: Which of these guys will get the fewest matches at Bethpage? Schauffele, because he’s not in form? English, because he’s the least formidable in terms of experience and pedigree? Scottie, because Keegan wants to teach him a valuable lesson in humility? Spaun, because they’ll accidentally forget he’s on the team?
Michael Miller/ISI Photos
Combined records in Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup competition:
Justin Thomas: 17-7-4 Patrick Cantlay: 15-6-1
These are your hosses, your prize bulls, your bell cows and every other term old football announcers use to describe a very good running back. Thomas has been steady all year, while Cantlay has been the one maybeeee slightly floundering, but Pat-in-the-Hat’s T-2 finish at the Tour Championship is all you need to see. You want these dudes with the ball in their hands with the game on the line (sorry, I can’t stop the football stuff), and they’ve done more than enough to make the team. I’ll be shocked and somewhat appalled if Keegan excludes them.
The Uncuttable Gem: Stock Just Fine, We Think Collin Morikawa 
Stacy Revere
How do you leave him off? I ask you this in all sincerity, because he’s been pretty uninspiring lately and every week I find myself contemplating this same question. Is there a world in which he could be snubbed? And the answer remains “no.” He’s the No. 8 golfer in the world, he made the Tour Championship, he stunk it up at the Open but was at least OK in the other three majors, and he’s been a hair above average in the playoffs. No, he hasn’t been electric, and no, the constant caddie carousel doesn’t inspire confidence, but the fact remains that he’s a two-time major winner with a lot of experience at these team events. Speaking of which, his combined record is 10-5-1 between Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup, which isn’t quite Thomas or Cantlay level, but is pretty damn good. He’s on. He can’t be anything but on. I maintain my previous bullish lock position.
The Growing Shadow of Doubt: Stock Falling Ben Griffin 
Sam Hodde
My colleague Joel Beall pointed me to this interview with Keegan, and oooh boy, it’s intriguing. The headline quote: “there’s probably going to be a few guys who think they’re going to be on the team that are not going to be.” Now, it’s possible to read too much into that, but I’ve also heard some thirdhand buzz that Griffin might be the guy who everyone—including me—has long expected to make the team who could actually be vulnerable. I’m taking this with a massive grain of salt, because along with his No. 9 spot in the rankings and his midsummer heater, he’s now finished 12th or better in his last four events, including all three playoff events. Maybe he’s not the greatest course fit at Bethpage, or maybe there’s more going on, but it would be a shocking exclusion if he didn’t make the team, and if he’s left off at Keegan’s expense it would be an unstoppable narrative. Still, the aura around him is worse than it was a week ago, so I’m moving him off the lock level.
The Decision of the Ryder Cup Century: Stock ??? Keegan Bradley 
Icon Sportswire
In the interview above, Bradley seemed very sincere in saying that deciding whether or not to pick himself was the hardest decision he’s ever made. When Todd Lewis asked if he had the support of his vice-captains and fellow players, he said that he had some support, and I wonder if that means there are some who are opposed. It certainly didn’t sound like he’d made up his mind, and the more you think about it, the more you realize the “green light” he gave himself at East Lake won’t matter as much as he wants it to. Bradley put it best: there is no good decision here, and no decision without controversy. But including himself on the team is still the most treacherous ground to stand on.
The “He Couldn’t Do Any More” Late Bloomer: Stock Still Rising Cameron Young 
Kevin C. Cox
Another week, another tremendous finish for Young, who has been scorching ever since demolishing the field at the Wyndham. He’s back in the world top 20, and easily one of the three hottest golfers currently. Finishing on a heater isn’t always super meaningful—if Young were Lucas Glover, this would be a different conversation—but when you consider how well his game matches Bethpage, and how he’s putting, and how he seems to threaten birdie on every hole, this guy is the weapon of weapons. I don’t think there’s any correct way to look at his recent form if you’re Bradley other than as a gift from the heavens, and it doesn’t hurt that he badly wants to make this team since it’s played in his home state. I can’t call him a lock, but I also can’t envision a sane decision that leaves him off the team.
The Refuses to Die Stalwart: Stock Steady Sam Burns 
Patrick Smith
Full stop, I don’t think Sam Burns deserves to be on the Ryder Cup team. Yes, he almost won at Oakmont, and yes, he’s strung together a couple top-10s in the last two playoff events, but otherwise his season has not been anything close to elite. Unlike your Cantlays and Thomases and Morikawas, he hasn’t been particularly good at these team events, with a combined record of 4-5-3, and the Scheffler-Burns friendship pairing was such a disaster (0-3-1) that U.S. leadership basically gave up on it after the first session in Rome (Henley now seems to be the Scheffler partner du jour). I don’t understand why he’s still in the discussion, but again, going back to that third-hand buzz, it seems like he’s very much in the conversation. Maybe it’s his putting? The guy is legitimately the best putter in the world this year, so I can understand if that’s reason enough. Maybe he’s just friends with the right people? In any case, this candidacy is very much alive.
The Bridesmaid: Stock Plummeting Maverick McNealy 
Ross Kinnaird
There’s no great reason why McNealy, who finished 10th in the rankings and is the 19th-ranked golfer in the world, shouldn’t at least be in the conversation, but even after the solo third at the BMW last week, he’s just existing in that shadow zone where the most he’ll ever get is lip service. The truth is, he needed another win in 2025, but without it he’s just too easy to overlook.
The No-Hopers: Stock De-Listed Brian Harman, Chris Gotterup, Andrew Novak, Akshay Bhatia 
Ross Parker – SNS Group
I’m not convinced any of these guys would have made the team even if they won the Tour Championship, but that’s the bare minimum they needed. They didn’t get it, hence, those doors that have might have been an inch or two ajar are now completely closed. I will spend at least the next two weeks continuing to wonder what might have been with Gotterup, a tremendous course fit who looked unstoppable for a couple weeks in the U.K. before coming back to earth.
Final Outlook
You’ve got nine locks (welcome, Patrick Cantlay) followed by a 4-for-3 scenario with Griffin, Bradley, Young and Burns. Prior to this week, Griffin felt like a lock and Burns felt like a desperate longshot, but the last couple weeks may have thrown a curve into that bit of certainty. Gun to head, I think Griffin, Young and Bradley are the last three guys with Burns on the outside, but unlike the ironclad European team, there still may be a surprise or two in store come Wednesday morning. Say what you want about the Bradley captaincy, and I’ve already said plenty, but it’s definitely delivering the drama.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com