Keegan Bradley made it official: he won’t be playing at Bethpage. After weeks of speculation that he might pull double duty as both captain and player, Bradley shut the door on that possibility when he revealed his six captain’s picks for Team USA — and then fired a pointed response toward Rory McIlroy, who recently dismissed the idea of a player captain entirely.
Bradley’s selections were Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay, and Sam Burns. They’ll join the six automatic qualifiers — Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau, Russell Henley, and Harris English — to form the 2025 American squad.
Bradley Pushes Back on Rory’s Comments
Earlier this summer, McIlroy made headlines when he declared the concept of a player captain at the Ryder Cup “no longer possible.” He doubled down just last week, saying he’d personally turned down the chance to ever act as one on the European side. The comments sparked debate because, of course, Arnold Palmer once famously captained and played for Team USA in 1963 — leading them to a 23–9 rout of Great Britain at Atlanta Athletic Club.
Bradley, when asked whether he considered proving McIlroy wrong by naming himself to the roster, didn’t hold back. “I am just not worried at all what they [Europe] do or what they say, I care about our team,” Bradley said. “Not quite sure how he would know if it’s not possible given no one has ever done it really so…”
He went on to invoke Palmer’s legacy while acknowledging how different the Ryder Cup has become. “I sit through this process and wish I could call Arnold Palmer and get his advice. The simple fact is that the Ryder Cup is a completely different animal than it was in the 60s, so even that would be difficult. But they can comment on what I can and cannot do, no one would have known.”
A Tough Call, But the Right One
Bradley admitted that when he won the Travelers Championship back in June, he fully expected to be a playing member of Team USA. But a dip in his form combined with strong finishes from guys like Cameron Young and Sam Burns changed the calculus. “The decision was made a while ago that I wasn’t playing,” Bradley revealed. “The last 48 hours we had the team set, we weren’t scrambling at all.”
Still, there was no hiding the sting of leaving himself off. “I grew up wanting to play Ryder Cups so it’s broke my heart not to play,” he said. “You work forever to make these teams, but I was chosen to be captain, and my ultimate goal is to be the best captain I can be. If the team was better with me on it, then I would have done it, but I 100% know this is the right choice.”
Now the focus shifts across the Atlantic. Luke Donald will announce his six captain’s picks for Team Europe on Monday, and you can bet Bradley’s comments — especially the ones aimed at McIlroy — will add a little extra fire to what is already shaping up to be a fiery Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.
