To captain, to play or both: The Ryder Cup question for Keegan Bradley that won't go away

USA Today

7 hours ago

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Keegan Bradley's locker room notes are starting to get a reputation. Bryson DeChambeau referenced them at the British Open and Scottie Scheffler was the latest to do so at the BMW Championship. But it was J.J. Spaun, who noted that the one he found in his locker from Captain Keegs that said, 'Bring your ego,' left a lasting impression on him during the U.S. Open in June.
'Stuck it in my locker and every time I opened my locker, I saw it. Every day. Open locker. See it there,' Spaun said on the Subpar podcast. 'It was just one of those things that kept kind of being pinged into my brain that was like, 'alright, Ryder Cup. Let's go. Bring your ego.' I'm not an egotistical person, but I think that more tapped into my self-belief.'
Scheffler pointed out that having Bradley be a regular presence at tournaments has brought a new comfort level with a captain, who at 39, is younger than the typical captain of past years.
'It's different having him here week in and week out. He's a guy that we know well. I loved all of our previous captains, but I think it's just different when we're showing up, like, 'Hey, you want to play a practice round this week?' We see him in dining. He's just around a lot more, so I think there's more opportunities for him to be kind of a part of our lives out here. I think that's really important as he steps into that captain role, knowing the players as well as he does.'
Scheffler already has locked up being among the six players who will automatically qualify for the American side based on the U.S. Ryder Cup points standings after this week's BMW Championship and then Bradley will have one more week to see how things play out at the Tour Championship before naming his final six members of the 12-man side on Aug. 27, that will try to win back the Cup at Bethpage Black in late September.
'The Ryder Cup has always been so far away, and now it's right there. Things are definitely amping up,' Bradley said on Wednesday. 'I still have a lot to prove just as well as everyone around me on the list.'
Bradley acknowledged he's tried to take best practices from coaches in various sports especially from leaders of national teams, 'where these teams come together quick and they are superstar athletes and they're used to being top dog wherever they go,' he said. 'I really think that's a little bit more applicable than -- we don't have any role players on our team. There's no guy out there just getting rebounds or just playing defense.
'Every guy on our team is one of the best players in the world that competes to win majors and tries to win tournaments every single week.'
Should Keegan Bradley select himself for the Ryder Cup team?
Bradley still is contemplating the decision of whether he would select himself if he doesn't qualify on points. He's currently No. 10 in the U.S. team rankings. On Tuesday, Patrick Cantlay and Rickie Fowler joined a growing list of American golfers who say that Bradley needs to be on the team. On Wednesday, Scheffler joined the chorus of support for Bradley to be a playing captain.
'I think if it's something that Keegan wants to be part of the team and wants to play, I think he's a guy we'd all love to have on the team,' Scheffler said. 'The intensity that he's brought as a captain, I mean, he has definitely exceeded my expectations as far as a captain. He's done a great job.'
Europe's top dog, Rory McIlroy agreed that Bradley has played like one of the top 12 American golfers but said being a playing captain, which had been kicked around for him in 2027 in Ireland, is a hard no for him.
"I've shot it down straight away," McIlroy said when he's been asked about doing double duty in the future. "Because I don't think you can do it."
'He might be right. We don't know. No one knows,' Bradley said. 'Everybody's telling me to start the year that a player can't be captain and have a good year. For me, I feel like this is one of my best years that I've ever had.'
He added: 'We're ready for this if it happens. I'm not sure it's going to. I can truly sit here right now and say I don't know what's going to happen. I have to look at myself just like any other player trying to make the team. I'm 10th in points right now, and that's not sixth.'
Bradley said he's been asking past U.S. Ryder Cup captains for advice on how to do the job. Paul Azinger, who captained the U.S. side to a home victory in 2008, said he's been texting with Bradley and has told him he could do something historic.
'If he can be the winning captain and have a decent record as a player, it might put him right in the Hall of Fame,' Azinger said.
McIlroy said 20 years ago, back when Azinger was at the helm, it was probably doable to do both play and call the shots, but the Ryder Cup has become such a spectacle and the captain duties have exploded to such an extent that he thinks Bradley has been put in a difficult situation.
'I definitely think he's one of the best 12 American players right now,' McIlroy said. 'That's why everyone is so interested and it's such a compelling case, and I'm just as interested as everyone else to see how it all plays out.'