US captain Bradley opts not to play in Ryder Cup

2025 Ryder Cup

Venue: Bethpage Black, New York Dates: 26-28 September

Coverage: Live text commentary on BBC Sport website

United States Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley decided not to pick himself as a player for the match against Europe next month after a change of heart.

The 39-year-old kept the public guessing until Wednesday when he announced the six wildcard picks to complete his 12-strong team to play at Bethpage Black from 26-28 September.

Bradley said at one stage he was ready to take on both roles, before having a rethink.

He said it "broke my heart not to play" but that his "ultimate goal" was to be the best possible captain.

Bradley's strong form this year includes six top-10 finishes as well as victory in the Travelers Championship, meaning he would almost certainly have been named as a player if anyone else had been captaining the team.

Instead, he selected Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantley and Sam Burns to join automatic qualifiers Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau.

Bradley, who is the youngest US captain since 34-year-old Arnold Palmer was a playing captain in 1963, is ranked 11th in the world and was 11th in the Ryder Cup team rankings.

"This was a really tough decision. There was a point this year where I was playing," said Bradley.

"These guys stepped up in a major way and played their way on to this team. It's something I'm proud of and really wanted."

United States President Donald Trump had backed Bradley to perform the dual role, which would have seen him become the first playing captain since Palmer.

Trump, an avid golf fan and regular player, is planning to attend the Ryder Cup's first day.

Rather than watching Bradley compete on the course, Trump will be able to observe the captain in the leadership role he was surprisingly selected for in July last year.

Bradley's Travelers Championship victory came in June, as he beat England's Tommy Fleetwood by a single shot.

He finished tied for seventh at the Tour Championship on Sunday, cementing his place in the top 12 of the US Ryder Cup rankings.

Now it falls to Europe to show their cards. Half of the European team is known, and captain Luke Donald will reveal his six picks on 1 September.

They will join Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Rasmus Hojgaard and Tyrrell Hatton as Europe look to defend the title they regained in Rome in 2023.

Analysis: 'Common sense has prevailed'

I think perhaps the most disappointed person will be Luke Donald, because the European captain I am sure would have enjoyed the fact his opposite number had to worry about playing as well as captaining.

Common sense has prevailed here. We talked before how difficult it would be to do both jobs and do them as well you need to, to win a Ryder Cup.

It has now become clear that all along Bradley felt his role was to be the captain and not a player. It changed somewhat when he had that big win in June, but ultimately it came down on the side of doing the job he was appointed to do and not be a player.

I think that does make an awful lot of sense when you consider what former captains have said about how difficult it would be to play as well.

Who is in US Ryder Cup team?

World number one Scottie Scheffler won the US PGA Championship and The Open this year to qualify with ease, and also added the BMW Championship in August.

JJ Spaun won the US Open to claim his first major, after being beaten to the Players Championship title in a play-off by Rory McIlroy.

Xander Schauffele won the US PGA and Open in 2024. He has had a quieter 2025, although he extended his run of not missing a cut to 58 events - the longest since Tiger Woods set the record at 142.

Russell Henley and Harris English rubber-stamped their spots over the weekend.

LIV Golf player Bryson DeChambeau qualified thanks to six top-10 finishes in the majors during the 17-month qualification period.

Captain Bradley described two-time major winner Justin Thomas, who was his first wildcard pick and finished seventh in the Ryder Cup rankings, as "the heartbeat of our team", adding: "This guy was born to play Ryder Cups and specifically at Bethpage Black."

Former world number two Collin Morikawa, also a two-time major champion, was eighth in the qualifying standings. Captain Bradley said his "golf resume speaks for itself".

Ben Griffin, 29, was the third captain's pick and makes his Ryder Cup debut. He was ninth in the Ryder Cup rankings.

"He's burst on to the scene this year with 10 top-10s, only second to Scottie in our team, including two wins," said Bradley.

Bradley selected another rookie in 29-year-old New York native Cameron Young, who finished 14th in the rankings, for his fourth pick. Young said competing in his home state would be "so special".

Fifth pick Patrick Cantlay, who ranked 15th in the race to make the team, said the "team events mean everything" to him.

Sam Burns, who was 16th in the Ryder Cup rankings, was the final pick. Burns said he felt "privileged and honoured" to be selected, with Bradley adding he has "competitive fire in his belly".

Who has missed out on Ryder Cup selection?

Aside from Bradley electing not to play, there are several other big names who have not been selected.

Brian Harman, the 2023 Open champion has been overlooked presumably because he is deemed not a big enough hitter for Bethpage Black.

There is also no Jordan Spieth, the former world number one who has formed a handy partnership with Justin Thomas in the past.

The likes of five-time major champion Brooks Koepka, who now plays on the LIV Golf tour, does not make the team, and the same goes for former US Open winner Wyndham Clark and Maverick McNealy.

McNealy, who is ranked 19th in the world, just above both Patrick Cantlay and Cameron Young, was aiming for a debut after having seven top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour in the 2025 season.

Bradley said omitting 29-year-old McNealy was a "very, very difficult call".

"It's difficult to get a pick in your first event," Bradley said. "I'm impressed with his game. I said it's OK to be angry, you can use this as fuel. Be angry with me and make the next team."

Analysis: 'Bradley's decision something of a surprise'

The decision came as something of a surprise given Bradley finished 11th in the US Ryder Cup qualifying table and, by common consent, is currently one of the top dozen American golfers.

He won the PGA Tour's prestigious BMW Championship last August, just six weeks after being announced as skipper for this 45th staging of the biennial event.

Another victory followed this June in a year that also saw him post six top-10 finishes as the player-captain momentum continued to build. But his inclusion as a player would have put the US team in uncharted waters for recent times.

Bradley was not the first choice for the captaincy, having won twice in 2023 and narrowly missed out on qualification to play at that year's contest.

But he accepted the responsibility after 15-time major champion Tiger Woods turned it down.

The decision to appoint him captain this time appeared to be a change in direction for the PGA of America, which runs the US Ryder Cup team.

Recent captains Zach Johnson, Jim Furyk and Davis Love III all served as an assistant captain at least once before taking on the top job.

Furyk - the losing captain in Paris in 2018 - is one of Bradley's vice-captains, while Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker are also on board and have Ryder Cup experience, unlike the team's other assistants, Kevin Kisner and Gary Woodland.

Bradley, who has won the 2011 US PGA Championship and seven other PGA Tour events since turning professional in 2008, has made two Ryder Cup appearances as a player - on losing teams in 2012 at Medinah and 2014 at Gleneagles.