GOLF
Bradley leaves himself off US team
U.S. captain Keegan Bradley went down the list of six names to fill out his Ryder Cup team, one by one, the suspense building whether he would call his own name and become the first playing captain in 62 years.
Turns out Bradley knew all along.
He had only one job in mind. He has only one goal in mind. And he said Wednesday in announcing his six captain's picks -- none named Bradley -- that the best chance for the Americans to win the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black was to leave his golf clubs at home.
"I know 100% for certain that this is the right choice," Bradley said.
Top American players, who saw him beat two strong fields in the last year, thought he should be on the team for the Sept. 26-28 matches on New York's Long Island.
For all the speculation -- especially after Bradley made a bold run at winning the Tour Championship last week -- he said he had known "for a while" he would not be the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963, and the team had been set leaving East Lake.
"I grew up wanting to play the Ryder Cup. It broke my heart not to play, it really did," he said. "Ultimately I was chosen to do a job. My ultimate goal was to be the best captain I could be."
Instead, Bradley went with a pair of Ryder Cup rookies in New York native Cameron Young and Ben Griffin, who finished at No. 9 in the standings. Joining them as picks were Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay, all of them on the last U.S. team.
That gives the Americans four Ryder Cup rookies -- U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun and Russell Henley qualified on their own -- for Bethpage Black. The other qualifiers were Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau, the only player from Saudi-backed LIV Golf who made it.
Brooks Koepka of LIV Golf was a captain's pick for the 2023 matches. The Americans return only six players from that Rome squad.
Europe, which will announce the rest of its team on Monday, is likely to return 11 of the 12 players who won in Rome two years ago. Luke Donald returns as captain.
Keegan Bradley reacts to his putt on the 18th green during the third round of the Tour Championship golf tournament, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)Keegan Bradley walks to the 18th green during the final round of the Tour Championship golf tournament, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)