Captain Bradley Snubs Himself

One of golf’s burning questions has been answered.

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley will not be playing on his own team in four weeks time when the Americans host the Europeans at Bethpage Black.

Bradley tabbed Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young and Sam Burns as captain’s picks.

Here is the full 12-man squad for the red, white and blue:

• Scottie Scheffler
• J.J. Spaun
• Xander Schauffele
• Russell Henley
• Harris English
• Bryson DeChambeau
• Justin Thomas
• Collin Morikawa
• Patrick Cantlay
• Ben Griffin
• Cameron Young
• Sam Burns

Scheffler, DeChambeau and Schauffele figure to be the key leaders given that the team features four Ryder Cup rookies with Spaun, Henley, Griffin and Young.

A decision that was made a long time ago

There was a lot of debate around whether Bradley should take on the responsibility of playing while also serving as captain. Everyone from Rory McIlroy to President Trump had an opinion.

In the end, he opted not to do it.

Bradley said he wanted to focus on the captaincy and didn’t even consider playing until his victory at the Travelers Championship in June. With several Americans stepping up throughout July and August—especially Young, Burns and Griffin—Bradley said it made the call not to compete much easier.

There was “no scrambling in the last 48 hours,” according to Bradley. The team had been set for quite some time and the decision not to play was made well in advance of Wednesday’s announcement.

“I would say there was a point this year where I was playing and all these guys stepped up in a major way and played their way onto the team,” Bradley said. “And that’s something I’m really proud of and something I really wanted. It was an extremely tough decision but one I’m really happy with. I’m really happy with these six players and I’m glad it’s over.”

Bradley had five top-10 finishes, in addition to the victory in 2025, including a T7 at the Tour Championship last week. At No. 18 in Data Golf’s overall rankings and No. 11 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Bradley is the 10th-best American by strokes gained.

If the captain had been anyone else, he almost certainly would have been on the team.

Bradley played his college golf at St. John’s and has tangled with Bethpage Black on dozens of occasions. He’s also a strong course fit for the burly layout because driving and iron play is the strength of his game.

After being snubbed for the 2023 Ryder Cup, Bradley had to snub himself this time.

“I grew up wanting to play Ryder Cups. I grew up wanting to fight alongside these guys,” Bradley explained. “And it broke my heart not to play because you work forever to make these teams but ultimately, I was chosen to do a job, I was chosen to be the captain of this team.

“And my ultimate goal to start this whole thing was to be the best captain that I could be. And this is how I felt like I could do this. If we got to this point and I felt like the team was better with me on it, I was going to do that. I was going to do whatever I thought was best for this team.”

Nobody has been a playing captain since Arnold Palmer led the U.S. to victory at East Lake in 1963. Back then, the role of a captain was limited. Nowadays the captain is involved in everything—from substantial media obligations to making sure the rain suits fit correctly.

However, Bradley could have leaned on his five vice captains Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner, Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker and Gary Woodland. Furyk was the captain in 2018, so he has some experience. If a choice had to be made while Bradley was on the course, it could have been done without compromising Bradley as a player.

If the U.S. defends home turf—they have won the past two home matches—Bradley will look like he made the right call.

If they don’t? People will question whether Bradley could have helped more as a player than a captain.

The experienced core returns

I wrote last week about how Thomas, Cantlay and Morikawa were virtual locks to be a part of the team.

Thomas has gone 16-5-2 across Ryder and Presidents Cups. He had a fairly solid season that included a victory at the RBC Heritage. He is now a four-time U.S. Ryder Cupper, most of any American on the team.

Cantlay is 5-2-1 in the Ryder Cup and has a successful partnership with Schauffele, so it’s likely we will see that pair reheated in New York.

Morikawa has a 4-3-1 record. He was 3-0-1 at Whistling Straits when the U.S. demolished the Europeans. Although 2025 was a tough year for him, Morikawa is still a premier iron player with value.

The Ryder Cup is more about emotion than current form. These three players have shown they can handle it, so it’s no surprise to see them picked.

Two more rookies join the team

Two scorching-hot Americans are hoping to make an impact on the team.

Since the PGA Championship, Griffin has 10 top-15 finishes. He forced Bradley’s hand given his consistently great play over the summer.

The 29-year-old North Carolinian is up to No. 7 in Data Golf and is the fourth-best American by strokes gained (congratulations, Maxfli).

Young has also been on a heater throughout the summer. In his last nine starts, he has won the Wyndham Championship and has four other top-5 finishes.

The 28-year-old New Yorker has the northeast connection that will make him a fan favorite. He won a New York State Amateur at Bethpage Black.

Young has also contended in major championships before, so this stage shouldn’t be too bright for him.

Will this group be enough for the Americans to win? Should Bradley have picked himself?

Let me know below in the comments.