After months of speculation Keegan Bradley decided against picking himself as a player for the Ryder Cup, but has he made the right decision?
On the face of it, most people believe he has, as you’re hard pushed to find anyone who truly believes a player-captain is a role that can be successfully performed at a modern Ryder Cup.
“It broke my heart not to play. It really did,” said Bradley when revealing his decision, and that heartbreak will be tough for him to swallow even with the pride he’ll feel as captain.
There’s not too much doubt elsewhere that he is among the best 12 American players available, so why did he decide against it?
Let’s look a bit deeper at the fallout from Bradley’s big decision.
Bradley shouldn’t have been in this position
There’s a sentiment that Bradley shouldn’t have been in this position in the first place – as a player who only just missed out on Rome in 2023 he was always likely to be in contention again to play at Bethpage Black.
Bradley has said that the PGA of America told him they hoped he’d be the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963 – so after playing well enough to objectively make the team, what’s the problem?
Yes, it’s a huge undertaking, and so many previous captains have said it’s an impossible task, but if it was really on the table from the start then the only issue would’ve been his play on the course – and that’s not in doubt.
So maybe it wasn’t so much on the table but just a possibility, and as the event drew closer the reality of the size of the task may have just become too much.
As ever in sport the result will define the decision, but picking himself would have brought massive pressure on both of his roles in New York – in already the most high-pressure environment in the sport.
So in the end it’s sad that a player like Bradley, who wanted to play in the Ryder Cup so badly, had to be the one to break his own heart.
Is the team actually better off?
While Bradley not playing has allowed someone else to realize their Ryder Cup dreams, will it actually be good for Team USA?
As while it will take some scrutiny off the captain it’ll put more on the players, especially if they’re struggling against Europe as the “Bradley could’ve done better than this” argument will be raised.
And while Bradley couldn’t pick…
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