Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup role will remain as a captain after leaving himself out of his six picks to complete Team USA’s line-up for Bethpage Black.
Bradley was announced as United States’ captain last June and has won twice on the PGA Tour since, following his success at the 2024 BMW Championship by snatching victory at the Travelers Championship in June.
The 39-year-old previously insisted that he would only play if he was one of Team USA’s automatic qualifiers, with those spots claimed by Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau earlier this month.
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Eamon Lynch shares his views on Keegan Bradley’s captain’s picks for the Ryder Cup and insists there’s ‘no gambles’ amongst his selections
Bradley finished 11th in the qualification standings and then claimed tied-seventh at the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship, where he revealed he was still undecided how he was going to complete his line-up.
The former major champion discussed his options with vice-captains before announcing his selections on Wednesday at the PGA of America’s headquarters in Texas, where he confirmed he had elected against becoming the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.
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Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, former Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance warned Keegan Bradley against taking on a playing-captain role for Team USA
Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin were the next three in the qualification standings and were all named as captain’s picks, with Cam Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns completing Bradley’s line-up for the biennial contest – live from September 26-28 on Sky Sports Golf.
“I felt really comfortable with the guys, extremely comfortable and I feel like I could best serve the team this way,” Bradley said in his press conference. “I don’t care if I play, don’t play – as long as we win on Sunday. That’s the only thing I care about.”
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Team USA have confirmed their line-up for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black
Bradley leaves himself out of captain’s picks
Thomas has been described as the “heartbeat of the team” by Bradley. He will make a fourth consecutive Ryder Cup appearance for Team USA, with the world No 5 narrowly missing out on qualifying automatically after winning the RBC Heritage in April as part of a strong season.
Morikawa was selected despite struggling for form in recent months, while Griffin will make his Ryder Cup debut after winning twice on the PGA Tour during an impressive campaign and is one of four Ryder Cup rookies in Bradley’s line-up.
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Following his selection for Team USA, Collin Morikawa says that the pressure on the team at the Ryder Cup is a ‘privilege’
Young also secured a rookie appearance in his home state, following his breakthrough PGA Tour title at the Wyndham Championship, and Cantlay returns for a third consecutive Ryder Cup despite being without a worldwide victory since the 2022 BMW Championship.
Burns was part of the 2023 Ryder Cup team and returns after being the only unbeaten American player in their Presidents Cup success last September, with Bradley himself, Maverick McNealy – 10th in the qualification standings – and Brian Harman among the players to miss out on a captain’s pick.
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Team USA captain Keegan Bradley hits back at Rory McIlroy’s comments surrounding Bradley’s predicament of whether he’ll pick himself for the Ryder Cup
“I am immensely proud to select these six players for the Ryder Cup team,” Bradley added. “All six are incredibly talented and deserving of a spot on our team.
“Together with the six qualifiers, our team features a strong blend of Ryder Cup veterans and rookies, each bringing unique strengths and experience that will be hugely beneficial in our quest to reclaim the Cup next month at Bethpage Black.”
Team Europe’s six automatic qualifiers are Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Rasmus Hojgaard and Tyrrell Hatton, with Luke Donald naming his six captain’s picks on Monday – live from 2pm on Sky Sports Golf.
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We take a closer look at the six Team Europe automatic qualifiers for the 2025 Ryder Cup in New York
What’s next?
The only PGA Tour event before the Ryder Cup is the Procore Championship in California, held from September 11-14, where the majority of Bradley’s American team are expected to compete.
There will be extended live coverage from every day of Ryder Cup week, starting on Monday September 22, with round-the-clock coverage then live from 9am on Friday September 26. Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.