Keegan Bradley has announced his six wildcard picks for the Ryder Cup, with the Team USA captain opting not to select himself as a playing captain.
Bradley had previously said he would not consider picking himself as one of Team USA’s six wildcards when he was announced as captain last year.
But the World No.11’s form since then, which has seen him win twice on the PGA Tour, has complicated his decision-making greatly.
Bradley finished 11th in the qualification standings for Team USA and, in any other circumstance, would have been a common-sense selection for his third Ryder Cup appearance.
But many have raised concerns about the feasibility of a playing captain in the modern-day era, especially given that the last golfer to take on such a challenge was Arnold Palmer way back in 1963.
Bradley appeared to have warmed to the idea of becoming a playing captain when speaking about the biennial contest in the past few months.
But, ultimately, the 39-year-old opted not to pick himself as one of Team USA’s 12 players for September’s clash as he announced his six wildcards on Wednesday.
Instead, Bradley selected Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns as his six wildcards.
They join Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau, Harris English and Russell Henley, who all qualified automatically on points.
Explaining his decision not to pick himself, Bradley noted: ‘The decision was made a while ago.
‘The last 48 hours, the team was set, it was a really tough decision, there was a point when I was playing.
‘These guys stepped up and played their way onto the team, I’m extremely proud of that, it was a difficult decision, but one I’m happy with.’
On the constant speculation over his decision leading up to Wednesday’s announcement, he added: ‘I’m glad it’s over. I grew up wanting to play in Ryder Cups, it broke my heart not to play, you work forever to make these teams, but I was chosen to do a job.
‘This was the way I could be the best captain, if the team was better with me on it, I’d do that. I know 100 percent, this is the right choice.
‘They played incredibly down the stretch to make my decision easier.’
More to follow.
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