Keegan Bradley has opted against naming himself on the US Ryder Cup team and becoming the first player-captain since 1963.
The world No11 had previously insisted he would only be on the team if he was one of the six players to qualify automatically.
He did not do so, finishing 11th in the standings, but Bradley’s form led to strong suggestions that there had been a change of heart.
The 39-year-old won the Travelers Championship in June and finished in a tie for seventh at the season-ending Tour Championship last week, with there little doubt that the Bradley is currently among the top dozen American players.
However, Bradley did not name himself as one of the six picks on Thursday, meaning Arnold Palmer in 1963 remains the last player-captain at the Ryder Cup.
Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns were instead the players to get the nod.
Those six join the automatic qualifiers on the team. World number one Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele booked their spots with time to spare, while US Open champion JJ Spaun will make his Ryder Cup debut.
Russell Henley is also on the team for the first time and Bryson DeChambeau is the sole LIV Golf player included.
Luke Donald will lead the European team again at Bethpage next month and he signed off on an amendment to the captains’ agreement, allowing an assistant to take temporary charge if the captain is playing in a session.
That could have paved the way for Bradley to include himself in the American dozen and rely heavily on his assistants, who have already been confirmed as Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner, Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker and Gary Woodland.
US President Donald Trump has been among those to urge Bradley to play, but two-time captain Tom Watson has insisted you “can’t be both”.
Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, revealed he turned down the opportunity to be a player-captain at the 2027 Ryder Cup in Ireland.
When asked why he had rejected the offer, McIlroy said: “Because I don’t think you can do it.”
He added: “If you’d have said it 20 years ago, I’d say, yeah, it was probably possible.
“But now with how big of a spectacle it is and everything that’s on the line, I think it would be a very difficult position to be in.”
Bradley’s selection as captain last year came as a huge surprise, with the left-field decision made after Tiger Woods said no to the PGA of America.
Remarkably, Bradley did not know he was being considered and did not have a single conversation about the role until he was called and offered the job.
