'This changes the story': US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley facing tough call after epic PGA tour win

23 June 2025, 08:52

Keegan Bradley admits victory at the Travelers Championship "changes the story" about whether he will be the first playing captain at the Ryder Cup since Arnold Palmer in 1963.

The 39-year-old snatched a debut PGA Tour win away from England's Tommy Fleetwood, who is almost certain to be in Europe's team for Bethpage in September, with a birdie at the final hole in Connecticut.

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Bradley moved to a joint-best seventh in the world and ninth in the USA's Ryder Cup qualification standing, with the top six qualifying and the other half-dozen captain's picks.

"My whole life, every year I was out here, I wanted to play on the Ryder Cup team, and then this would be the first year where maybe I didn't want to," said Bradley, who has not played in the event since 2014.

"I just wanted to be the captain and, of course, this is what happens. This changes the story a little bit. I never would have thought about playing if I hadn't won.

"This definitely opens the door to play. I don't know if I'm going to do it or not but I certainly have to take a pretty hard look at what's best for the team and we'll see.

"It's still June so we (have) got a long way to go (but) this definitely changes things a little bit."

Bradley has not been part of a victorious Ryder Cup team and famously has never unpacked his suitcase from 2012 when Europe pulled off a miraculous comeback at Medinah.

An out-of-form Justin Thomas was picked ahead of him for 2023 - a moment caught on camera in the Netflix documentary Full Swing - despite Bradley being higher on the points list.

Bradley has consistently said he would not pick himself but his stance is starting to soften, although he has stressed he will not give up the captaincy if he does make the team.

"I never really planned on playing. Now, with the amazing vice-captains I have, I feel a lot more comfortable if I went that route," he added.

"I had this epiphany at the PGA Championship when I was getting these loud USA cheers.

"I don't think any player in the history of the game has experienced what I'm experiencing in that I'm a Ryder Cup captain, in my eyes still one of the best players in the world trying to win majors and tournaments, coming down the stretch of a tournament.

"When they (the PGA of America) called me and told me that I was being the Ryder Cup captain the first thing they said was 'We want you to be the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer'.

"My head was spinning, I didn't know what they were talking about, but they knew that that was a possibility and that we would have things in place for that.

"A year ago I don't know if I would have thought I would be seventh in the world but I certainly thought I would be contending in tournaments."