The United States Ryder Cup team for Bethpage Black in September is beginning to take shape. With three of the four majors and all the PGA Tour’s “Signature Events” behind us, (the PGA’s schedule is for another blog on another day) the team’s points are largely set, although some shuffling could still occur with The Open in July and the FedEx Cup Playoffs in August. The USA team’s point system is based on money earned, and the number of big purse events is dwindling as summer heats up. As it stands, the top six players in the standings, who automatically qualify, are Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, J.J. Spaun, Russell Henley, Bryson DeChambeau, and Justin Thomas.
The captain of the U.S. team, Keegan Bradley, finds himself in an intriguing position. After winning the Traveler’s Championship, he sits in 9th place in the Ryder Cup standings. Historically, it was not uncommon for the captain to also play, but this changed after 1963 when the format expanded to 52 holes. The last playing captain for the U.S. was Arnold Palmer in 1963. Today, the captain’s role has expanded significantly, involving media responsibilities, player management, and strategic planning, making it seemingly difficult to also compete.
When Keegan was named captain, he was asked about the possible dilemma of picking himself and stated, “No, I will either make the team on points …. I’m not going to pick myself.” However, after his recent victory, to go along with great play this spring, he mentioned, “I will play if I think it will help the team.” This raises the very loud question across golf media of whether he should focus on his captaincy duties or consider playing if he believes it benefits the team. Golf Channel, podcast, message boards, and of course X the everything app have blown up with people voicing their thoughts on the situation. It would be possible for Keegan to give up the captaincy and one of the vice-captains to take over, but Keegan does not seem willing to do that based off statements made Sunday night in an interview on Golf Central’s Post Game. People on X and message boards are rooting for Keegan to withdraw being a captain and have Tiger Woods take over the roll. Something I would call a highly unlikely scenario.
If the current top six spots hold, his is who I believe to be the best options to round out the 12-man team as of today.
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Collin Morikawa: Currently 7th in the standings and a Ryder Cup veteran. (mortal lock)
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Ben Griffin: 8th in the standings, having a career year, and seemingly a good fit for Bethpage. (Rumored that Keegan does not want rookies)
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Harris English: 10th in the standings, offering solid experience.
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Maverick McNealy: 11th in the standings, a well-rounded player but would be another Ryder Cup rookie.
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Cameron Young: 17th in the standings, improving form, and known for elevating his play on challenging courses.
The last spot could come down to Sam Burns or Patrick Cantlay. Burns has a strong partnership with Scottie Scheffler, while Cantlay has faced some controversy, notably in Rome, where he did not wear the team hat, citing fit issues. Additionally, Cantlay has been vocal about players receiving payment for Ryder Cup participation, which may not align with the spirit of playing for national pride.
I am currently not entertaining the idea of Jordan Spieth playing on this team. His form has been improving, yes, but he withdrew from the Traveler’s with an apparent neck/shoulder injury and his wife is due to have another baby in July. Two years ago, she had a child just weeks before the Ryder Cup in Rome and Spieth could not have played worse.
Tony Finau, Wyndham Clark and Akshay Batia are players that could get some consideration, but I would think are well on the outside looking in as of now. Finau and Clark have both previously been Ryder Cuppers.
Keegan Bradley has a very good argument for playing. He is 9th in the current standings, 9th in DataGolf, 8th in FedEx Cup points, and 7th in the World Golf Rankings. His current form is arguably the best it has ever been, and he has Ryder Cup experience. However, the ability to effectively captain and play is a significant challenge, one not undertaken since 1963 for a reason.
As the race for the final spots unfolds, it will be interesting to see how Keegan navigates his dual role. Should he focus solely on his captaincy duties, or is there room for him to play if he believes it benefits the team? If Keegan can get into the top 6 and qualify on merit that is one thing, I do not think Keegan should pick himself.
