OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Keegan Bradley still has two FedEx Cup playoffs tournaments left to make his case for becoming the first playing captain for the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 62 years.
Ryder Cup veterans Patrick Cantlay and Rickie Fowler believe Bradley has already done enough on the course this season to be on the 12-player roster that will battle the European team at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, Sept. 26-28.
Bradley, 39, will be the youngest American captain since Arnold Palmer was a playing captain in 1963 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
Bradley is currently 10th in the U.S. team points standings after winning the Travelers Championship, a signature event, on June 22. He hasn’t finished in the top 30 in four starts since then. He has five top-10s and nine top-25s in 19 starts.
“Yeah, I would pick him too,” said Fowler, who has competed in five Ryder Cups. “I think it would be hard to find really any or many Americans that would argue that point.”
World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler, U.S. Open winner J.J. Spaun and Xander Schauffele have already earned enough points to qualify for the team.
The top six golfers in points after this week’s BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club will make the team. Russell Henley, LIV Golf League captain Bryson DeChambeau and Harris English are currently in the top six.
Bradley previously said DeChambeau will be on the team, and Henley and English seem almost assured of playing at Bethpage Black, regardless of where they finish in points.
Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Bradley, Maverick McNealy and Andrew Novak round out the current top 12.
Bradley will make six captain’s choices Aug. 27, three days after the Tour Championship at East Lake.
Bradley has wavered on whether he’d choose himself with a captain’s pick after previously saying he would only compete if he qualified for the team on points. After winning the Travelers Championship against a loaded field, Bradley said he would pick himself if “I feel like I’m going to help the team.”
“I know he’s maybe getting to the area on points of where he may think, like, ‘Is this a spot where I should not pick myself?'” Fowler said. “I feel like a lot of times there’s really only one or two [golfers] that maybe fluctuate based off of people that were maybe inside the top 12 on points that maybe don’t get picked.
“Like I said, I don’t think you’re going to find any or many Americans that are going to argue that he shouldn’t be on the team.”
Cantlay competed in the past two Ryder Cups and was one of the U.S. team’s lone bright spots in its 16½ – 11½ loss to the Europeans at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club outside Rome in 2023. He had a 2-2 record and provided an emotional lift.
Brian Harman (13th in points), Cameron Young (14), Cantlay (15th) and a few other golfers are also believed to be in the mix for roster spots.
“Fortunately, I’m not in that predicament,” Cantlay said when asked if he would choose himself as a playing captain. “Keegan, however, is in that predicament. If I was the captain, I’d pick Keegan. I think he’s played great.”
If Bradley did choose himself with a captain’s pick, he would have to relegate some of his responsibilities in managing the U.S. team. He would probably hand over some of the duties to former Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk, one of his five vice captains.
“I think he has a lot of responsibility that week,” Cantlay said. “So 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.”