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Keegan Bradley chose not to choose himself as a gaming captain for Team USA in the Ryder Cup next month.
Instead, the 39-year-old went with Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns as his captain’s choice.
Rory McIlroy said earlier this month he felt it would be too hard to be a gaming captain and said he rejected the idea for the future. When Bradley was asked about McIlroy’s comments, Bradley seemed to have no desire to prove him wrong.
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US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley on Bethpage Black Course on August 18, 2025 in Bethpage, New York. (Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
“The decision was made a while ago that I wasn’t playing,” Bradley said, adding that he was 100% sure this is the right choice.
“I’m not at all worried about what they do or say. I’m interested in our team. Not sure how he would know it. I said through this process, I wish I could call Arnold Palmer and get his advice. The simple fact is that the Ryder Cup was a different animal than it was in the 60s … I said through this process that I should do what was best for the team, and this was the best.”
Bradley participated in both 2012 and 2014 Ryder Cups (both of which were loss). By 2023 he was the 11th ranked American golfer (12 players make the team), but Sam Burns, Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas were elected over him (Cameron Young was also skipped despite ranking of the ninth).
Ryder Cup Trophy is seen on Bethpage Black Course, host of the 2025 Ryder Cup, September 19, 2022 in Farmingdale, New York. (Gary Kellner/PGA of America via Getty Images)
Tommy Fleetwood wins the Tour Championship to 1. PGA -SEVER AND $ 10M -PRICE AT EAST LAKE
But last July, it was announced that Bradley would take Zach Johnson’s place as the team’s US captain.
Chattering about being a gaming captain got high after Bradley won the Travelers Championship, a tournament he won in 2023, on crazy clutch fashion. He birded on the 18th while Team Europe Mainstay Tommy Fleetwood Bogeyed. That put him in the top-10 of the FedEx Cup Points, and he recently impressed with a T7 finish on the Tour Championship-He is currently the 11th ranked player in the world.
President Donald Trump put his support behind Bradley as playing captain of the US Ryder Cup team on Saturday night.
“Keegan Bradley should definitely be on the American Ryder Cup team – as Captain !!!” Said the president. “He’s an amazing guy. It will be a big Ryder Cup. At the invitation from PGA Tour, I’ll be there on the tournament Friday !!!”
Ryder Cup Trophy at Bethpage State Park Black Course on June 6, 2016 in Farmingdale, New York. (Gary Kellner/PGA of America)
Scottie Scheffler, Xander SchaUffele, Russell Henley, JJ Spaun, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau qualified all automatically.
Ryder Cup begins on September 26th. The road team has not won since 2012 with the miracle in Medinah, where each of the last five Ryder Cups was won pretty convincing by the home layer.
