PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — He is not ready to put himself on his team. Yet. But two more good days at Portrush can answer all the questions surrounding Keegan Bradley the captain about Bradley the player.
It was this week last year that the PGA of America surprised the sport by announcing Bradley as the 2025 captain for the United States Ryder Cup team, breaking from tradition of tapping individuals who were past their competitive prime to pick one of the (then) top 20 players in the world. It raised the prospect of Bradley becoming the rare playing captain—something that hasn’t been done at the Ryder Cup since Arnold Palmer held the dual roles in 1963, when the event was nowhere near the year-long behemoth it’s become.
Bradley initially played down that possibility, stating at his introductory press conference the only way it would happen would be if he automatically qualified. “I will either make the team on points—I don’t see myself picking—I’m not going to pick myself,” Bradley said, “The only way that would happen is if the team was insisting on it, but even if they did, I don’t see that happening. I want to make the team on points, otherwise I’m going to be the captain.” But the damndest thing has happened in the ensuing year, as Bradley is enjoying a mid-career rejuvenation, winning twice since his announcement and moving up to No. 7 in the World Ranking. That performance has continued at Royal Portrush, with the former PGA champ turning in one of the low rounds Friday morning to the tune of a four-under 67 to put him in the weekend mix for the claret jug. “That was fun. Played really, really well,” Bradley said. “I’ve been playing so poorly here over the last couple years. It feels nice to put a nice round together, nice two days together. I played nice yesterday as well. But what a fun day.” As Bradley alluded to, his Open track record is not much of a record to speak of, missing the cut in his last five starts at this championship. If you’re wondering about the catalyst the past few days, Bradley’s short game has been on point, both on and around the putting surfaces. “I’ve really struggled on the greens over here the last handful of years,” Bradley said. “I’ve struggled on slower greens, had a better game plan and had to feel a longer stroke and made a lot more putts, but also driving the ball well, which is huge.” While he has a legitimate shot at his second major title, the conversation after his round turned to Bethpage in September, again raising the question of what he will do in regards to himself as player. Bradley initially pointed out a win this week would seal his spot as an automatic qualifier, but reiterated he’s in no position at the moment to make the call regarding his wild-card picks. “I wouldn’t yet. I’d wait,” Bradley said if he finished in the top 12 of points (the top six automatically make it). “Again, I want to make sure I put the team in the best position to play. I have to really figure out how this would work. But I’ve got great vice captains—Jim Furyk is, like, the best. He knows how to do this. Sneds [Brandt Snedeker] and Webb [Simpson] and Gary [Woodland], they’re a great team to lean on.
“I’m going to look at myself as just another player. It’s tough to me, but … we have to look at every single possibility just like we’d look at any other player in my position. Anybody in the top 12 or top 15 or top 20, you want to look at the player that’s playing the best. We’ve still got a month, two months left before the Ryder Cup, and if I continue my play, then we’ll talk about this, but you never know how this golf thing is.” Automatic qualifying ends on Aug. 17 for the Americans, which is after the second round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Bradley will announce his captain’s picks a short time later. As for how this will affect his play over the next month, Bradley said it will be business as usual. “I’ve got to play really well to make the team just as if I wasn’t the captain,” Bradley said. “I had a very similar year at Rome and didn’t make the team. I have to keep going. I really need to play well this event and then in the playoffs.”
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Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
