Patrick Cantlay, Rickie Fowler join chorus that Keegan Bradley should play in 2025 Ryder Cup
Six players will officially automatically qualify for the American side led by Captain Keegs after this week's BMW Championship and then he'll have one more week to see how things play out at the Tour Championship before picking his final six members of the 12-man side that will try to win back the Cup at Bethpage Black in late September. The captain's pick will be made on Aug. 27.
'If I was the captain, I'd pick Keegan. I think he's played great,' said Patrick Cantlay, who is on the outside looking in at No. 15 in the U.S. point standings but has been a key cog in the last several U.S. sides, including the Presidents Cup. 'If he feels that he can play golf like a normal week given all his other responsibilities, I'm just saying that if I was the captain I think he's definitely one of the best American players, and his results have shown that.'
Bradley enters this week's BMW Championship at Caves Valley outside of Baltimore as the No. 10 ranked player in the Official World Golf Ranking. He's also No. 10 in the Ryder Cup points standings. Bradley initially said he would have to finish in the top 6 and that he wouldn't pick himself but he has since softened that stance after winning the Travelers Championship in June. Cantlay isn't the only American who thinks Bradley needs to be on the team.
'I would pick him too,' said Rickie Fowler. 'I think it would be hard to find really any or many Americans that would argue that point. We'll see. I know he's maybe getting to the area of the 10, 11 number on points of where he may think, like, 'Is this a spot where I should not pick myself?''
Bradley's game has cooled off since his victory. He hasn't finished better than T-30 in his last four starts, including a missed cut at the Wyndham Championship and began last week with a triple bogey in his first round and never really recovered, finishing T-44.
Count Hal Sutton, the 2004 U.S. captain, among those who think Bradley has played well enough to be on the team but should relinquish his captain duties to one of his capable assistants.
'As a captain you're no better than (your players) are playing and if they're not playing well, it's pretty hard to win. You can't out-captain out of that, so I'd just play,' he said.
And why should Bradley pass the baton on the captain duties? 'Because it takes your mind off of the playing if you've got to make some decisions on being the captain too. He's got to make some decisions on being captain too. He can let one of them do it,' explained Sutton.
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