The final Team USA roster for the Ryder Cup is set, and not everyone got the golden ticket. While most of the headlines are about who made the team, there’s just as much buzz around the names left out.
Cue vice-captain Webb Simpson, who pulled back the curtain a bit this week and gave us a glimpse into just how tough those final decisions really were — and, yeah, some big names were hanging by a thread.
Webb Simpson Breaks Down the “Almosts”
With Keegan Bradley stepping into his first Ryder Cup captaincy — and choosing not to select himself, by the way — the spotlight is now on him and his team of vice-captains to steer the ship. And if you were wondering whether the final cuts were easy? Not even close.
Webb Simpson, who knows both the pressure of playing and the strategy of leadership, opened up about how razor-thin the margins were. He specifically mentioned guys like Maverick McNealy, Brian Harman, and Andrew Novak — all of whom, by the way, had pretty compelling cases to make the squad.
Let’s start with Mav. “The season he has had, 10th on points, the playoffs he had. He’s a great putter,” Simpson said. And he’s not wrong — McNealy’s been grinding all year and had a real shot. Then there’s Brian Harman, a major winner, well-respected in the locker room, and an all-around gritty competitor. “That was a hard one,” Webb admitted. You can almost hear the internal debate still ringing in his voice.
And what about Andrew Novak? “He has had a heck of a season,” Simpson said, though an injury mid-year probably knocked him out of serious contention. Still, that tells you just how much the selection committee was evaluating form, health, chemistry, and momentum — all in real time.
Bradley’s Vision: Youth Over Legacy
Now, let’s discuss what this all really means. The omission of veterans like Jordan Spieth and Brian Harman? That’s a statement. Keegan Bradley isn’t here to stick to tradition — he’s here to shake things up. And his selections of Cameron Young, Sam Burns, Ben Griffin, and Russell Henley prove exactly that.
This isn’t about legacy points anymore. It’s about firepower, form, and attitude. Young brings raw speed and aggression. Henley? A technician under pressure. And Ben Griffin has the kind of quiet confidence that Ryder Cup rookies don’t usually have — and maybe that’s exactly what this new-look Team USA needs.
The Pressure’s On, But the Potential Is Real
Now, Europe is going to bring its usual recipe of legends, chemistry, and continental flair. But this American side? There’s a fresh energy, a sense of hunger that you can feel brewing. If this young core clicks early — and that’s the big if — they could roll.
But make no mistake, leaving off names like Spieth, Harman, and McNealy comes with risk. The veterans bring experience, nerves of steel, and the battle scars that often make the difference in those Saturday afternoon matches.
Still, if you’re looking for a captain ready to rewrite the blueprint, Keegan Bradley is your guy. And with Webb Simpson riding shotgun, this could be the start of a new chapter in Ryder Cup history.
