Keegan Bradley Declines Rare Ryder Cup Playing Captain Role

Keegan Bradley will not be the first playing captain at a Ryder Cup since Arnold Palmer in 1963.

Bradley, who was named captain of the U.S. team last July and finished 11th in the final qualification rankings, opted not to select himself as one of six captain’s picks that finalize the 12-man squad that will compete at Bethpage Black Golf Course just outside New York City Sept. 26–28. 

“This was a really tough decision,” Bradley said Wednesday after the reveal. “I would say there was a point this year where I was playing a while ago, and all these guys stepped up in a major way and played their way onto this team.”

Bradley’s six captain’s picks were Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay, and Sam Burns. They join automatic qualifiers Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English, and Bryson DeChambeau in making up the U.S. team next month. 

The decision not to pick himself “was made a while ago,” Bradley said.

Captain, My Captain

Bradley, 39, was a surprise pick to captain the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup team, as captains in modern times have typically been older golfers who are either no longer in their playing prime or not competing full-time anymore. Tiger Woods was offered the captaincy, but turned it down due to his growing business responsibilities with the PGA Tour around ongoing negotiations with LIV’s financial backers at the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.

Bradley was the first player left off the 2023 U.S. team captained by Zach Johnson—a situation that was highlighted during Netflix’s Full Swing docuseries and subsequently earned Bradley widespread praise for his handling of the disappointment.

At the time of his selection, Bradley was seen as a long shot to make the team, and he said he would not pick himself, and play only if he was one of the six automatic qualifiers. However, Bradley has won twice since being named captain, and is currently No. 11 in the Official World Golf Ranking. 

The possibility of Bradley being a playing captain had been a major storyline all golf season. Rory McIlroy, the top qualifier for Europe’s team this year, said earlier this month he doesn’t think being a playing captain is practical given how big the Ryder Cup is, and even said he has turned down the idea of himself being a playing captain for Europe in the near future. 

“I’m not quite sure how he would know if it’s not possible,” Bradley said Wednesday. “No one’s ever done it. …
I was confident that if I did need to play, I had incredible vice captains that I could lean on, an incredible team that I could lean on.”

Ryder Cup Ramp Up

While Bradley won’t take up the unprecedented role of being a playing captain, the event is expected to have a wild atmosphere that will require extra security in anticipation of rowdy American fans.

The PGA of America, which organizes the Ryder Cup when it’s played in the United States, is anticipating record crowds—and revenue—despite outcry over extremely high ticket prices. General-admission passes for the three competition days started at $750. 

The U.S. is looking to avenge a 16.5–11.5 loss to Europe in the 2023 Ryder Cup that was played in Rome. 

U.S. players will receive a $200,000 stipend for the first time, which has led to criticism from the European team about competing for money and not one’s country.

Europe’s Luke Donald will make his six captain’s picks on Monday. The six Europeans who have already qualified are McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Rasmus Højgaard, and Tyrrell Hatton.