{"id":95060,"date":"2025-08-25T16:31:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T16:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/95060\/"},"modified":"2025-08-25T16:31:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T16:31:10","slug":"ryder-cup-2025-u-s-stock-watch-did-keegan-bradley-give-himself-the-green-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/95060\/","title":{"rendered":"Ryder Cup 2025 U.S. Stock Watch: Did Keegan Bradley give himself the green light?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since the very moment Keegan Bradley was announced as captain, I have been a reliable \u2026 skeptic \u2026 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\u2019s probably the only captain in the world who could leave himself off the team this year. <\/p>\n

Today, as we wait for Keegan Bradley\u2019s final three captain\u2019s picks on Wednesday, I remain a skeptic. But I also must tip my cap, because like Keegan Bradley himself, I didn\u2019t 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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Let me put it this way: After the Tour Championship, he has every right to pick himself. Do I still think it\u2019s 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 \u201cdoes this guy deserve to make the team?\u201d question, and to answer the question in the headline, I now believe Bradley has more than justified his own inclusion. It\u2019s green light city, baby.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Auto-Locks: Gold-Plated Stock Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English, Bryson DeChambeau <\/p>\n

You knew this. Here\u2019s a fun prop bet, though: Which of these guys will get the fewest matches at Bethpage? Schauffele, because he\u2019s not in form? English, because he\u2019s the least formidable in terms of experience and pedigree? Scottie, because Keegan wants to teach him a valuable lesson in humility? Spaun, because they\u2019ll accidentally forget he\u2019s on the team?<\/p>\n

Michael Miller\/ISI Photos<\/p>\n

Combined records in Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup competition:<\/p>\n

Justin Thomas: 17-7-4 Patrick Cantlay: 15-6-1<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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\u2019t stop the football stuff), and they\u2019ve done more than enough to make the team. I\u2019ll be shocked and somewhat appalled if Keegan excludes them.<\/p>\n

The Uncuttable Gem: Stock Just Fine, We Think Collin Morikawa \"1342287957\"\/ <\/p>\n

Stacy Revere<\/p>\n

How do you leave him off? I ask you this in all sincerity, because he\u2019s 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 \u201cno.\u201d He\u2019s 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\u2019s been a hair above average in the playoffs. No, he hasn\u2019t been electric, and no, the constant caddie carousel doesn\u2019t inspire confidence, but the fact remains that he\u2019s 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\u2019t quite Thomas or Cantlay level, but is pretty damn good. He\u2019s on. He can\u2019t be anything but on. I maintain my previous bullish lock position.<\/p>\n

The Growing Shadow of Doubt: Stock Falling Ben Griffin \"2217004765\"\/ <\/p>\n

Sam Hodde<\/p>\n

My colleague Joel Beall pointed me to this interview with Keegan, and oooh boy, it\u2019s intriguing. The headline quote: \u201cthere\u2019s probably going to be a few guys who think they\u2019re going to be on the team that are not going to be.\u201d Now, it\u2019s possible to read too much into that, but I\u2019ve also heard some thirdhand buzz that Griffin might be the guy who everyone\u2014including me\u2014has long expected to make the team who could actually be vulnerable. I\u2019m taking this with a massive grain of salt, because along with his No. 9 spot in the rankings and his midsummer heater, he\u2019s now finished 12th or better in his last four events, including all three playoff events. Maybe he\u2019s not the greatest course fit at Bethpage, or maybe there\u2019s more going on, but it would be a shocking exclusion if he didn\u2019t make the team, and if he\u2019s left off at Keegan\u2019s expense it would be an unstoppable narrative. Still, the aura around him is worse than it was a week ago, so I\u2019m moving him off the lock level.<\/p>\n

The Decision of the Ryder Cup Century: Stock ??? Keegan Bradley \"2231088002\"\/ <\/p>\n

Icon Sportswire<\/p>\n

In the interview above, Bradley seemed very sincere in saying that deciding whether or not to pick himself was the hardest decision he\u2019s 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\u2019t sound like he\u2019d made up his mind, and the more you think about it, the more you realize the \u201cgreen light\u201d he gave himself at East Lake won\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

The \u201cHe Couldn\u2019t Do Any More\u201d Late Bloomer: Stock Still Rising Cameron Young \"2231520827\"\/ <\/p>\n

Kevin C. Cox<\/p>\n

Another week, another tremendous finish for Young, who has been scorching ever since demolishing the field at the Wyndham. He\u2019s back in the world top 20, and easily one of the three hottest golfers currently. Finishing on a heater isn\u2019t always super meaningful\u2014if Young were Lucas Glover, this would be a different conversation\u2014but when you consider how well his game matches Bethpage, and how he\u2019s putting, and how he seems to threaten birdie on every hole, this guy is the weapon of weapons. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any correct way to look at his recent form if you\u2019re Bradley other than as a gift from the heavens, and it doesn\u2019t hurt that he badly wants to make this team since it\u2019s played in his home state. I can\u2019t call him a lock, but I also can\u2019t envision a sane decision that leaves him off the team.<\/p>\n

The Refuses to Die Stalwart: Stock Steady Sam Burns \"2220148250\"\/ <\/p>\n

Patrick Smith<\/p>\n

Full stop, I don\u2019t think Sam Burns deserves to be on the Ryder Cup team. Yes, he almost won at Oakmont, and yes, he\u2019s 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\u2019t 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\u2019t understand why he\u2019s still in the discussion, but again, going back to that third-hand buzz, it seems like he\u2019s very much in the conversation. Maybe it\u2019s his putting? The guy is legitimately the best putter in the world this year, so I can understand if that\u2019s reason enough. Maybe he\u2019s just friends with the right people? In any case, this candidacy is very much alive.<\/p>\n

The Bridesmaid: Stock Plummeting Maverick McNealy \"2215613021\"\/ <\/p>\n

Ross Kinnaird<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no great reason why McNealy, who finished 10th in the rankings and is the 19th-ranked golfer in the world, shouldn\u2019t at least be in the conversation, but even after the solo third at the BMW last week, he\u2019s just existing in that shadow zone where the most he\u2019ll ever get is lip service. The truth is, he needed another win in 2025, but without it he\u2019s just too easy to overlook.<\/p>\n

The No-Hopers: Stock De-Listed Brian Harman, Chris Gotterup, Andrew Novak, Akshay Bhatia \"2224291607\"\/ <\/p>\n

Ross Parker \u2013 SNS Group<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not convinced any of these guys would have made the team even if they won the Tour Championship, but that\u2019s the bare minimum they needed. They didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Final Outlook <\/p>\n

You\u2019ve 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\u2019ve already said plenty, but it\u2019s definitely delivering the drama.<\/p>\n

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Since the very moment Keegan Bradley was announced as captain, I have been a reliable \u2026 skeptic \u2026…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":95061,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[64,63,755,85],"class_list":["post-95060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95060"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95060\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95061"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}