Keegan Bradley has absolutely played well enough to merit a Ryder Cup captain’s pick. But if he picks himself, he is missing the entire point of his captaincy.
Forget the Ryder Cup points list and strokes gained and Bradley’s world ranking, which is eighth-highest among Americans. The U.S. needs a leader, not a mathematician. The only numbers that should drive Bradley’s decision-making are these:
Since 1995, Americans have won 77 majors and Europeans have won 24. Yet Europe has won the Ryder Cup 10 times and the U.S. has won it four.
There are several reasons for this disparity, but the biggest, simplest one is this: At Ryder Cups, Americans worry far too much about what individuals think they deserve, while Europe is hyper-focused on what the team needs.
Viewed through that prism, Bradley’s decision becomes much easier.
Should Bradley have been on the 2023 team that lost at Marco Simone? Is this his last, best chance to play in a Ryder Cup? Does he have unfinished business after famously leaving his suitcase from the 2012 Ryder Cup fully packed, as a reminder of the loss?
Maybe, maybe, and sure, but who cares? What Bradley “deserves” should be irrelevant.
Bradley should only consider how the Ryder Cup might actually play out.
Just about anybody who has played in the Ryder Cup says that from start to finish, it’s the most nerve-clattering event in golf. If Bradley picks himself, he will face the added pressure of justifying his selection. So this is not just a question of Bradley vs., say, Patrick Cantlay. The question is: Would you rather have Bradley under more pressure than anybody else in the field, or Cantlay under typical Ryder Cup pressure?
The safest prediction in Ryder Cup history is that the crowd at Bethpage Black will work blue: It will be the loudest, feistiest and most profane gallery the sport has ever seen. At the last major there, the 2019 PGA, fans rode leader Brooks Koepka so hard on Sunday that he almost blew the tournament—and they only gave Koepka a hard time because he had a big lead and they were bored. Imagine what they will do at a Ryder Cup.
If Bradley picks himself and wins his first match while the U.S. builds a lead, he’ll get a hero’s cheer after every shot. But what if he doesn’t? New York fans are not primarily positive or negative. They are mostly just vocal. They boo the Yankees when they feel it’s warranted. They will have no reservations about booing the Yanks at the Ryder Cup.
Picture this, Keegan: It’s Saturday night, your team is down 10-6, and you are 0-2. Your job, at that point, is to get everybody to believe they can come back in the Sunday singles matches. That means you have to be a positive force. But if you hide your disappointment in your own play, you’ll look like you aren’t taking responsibility. If you own it, then instead of you picking the players up, they will feel like they have to pick you up.
Either way, what do you tell the team?
Great news, fellas: I can only lose once tomorrow!
I know that Rickie Fowler said recently that everyone would support Bradley picking himself. But Fowler is such a nice and thoughtful person that he would never say anything else. Most players might even agree with Fowler now. But if Bradley picks himself, and that decision blows up on him, then whatever his teammates think now won’t matter to them. They will view the decision as his and his alone—because it is.
Even from a purely logistical perspective, this would be a mess. As captain, Bradley is supposed to evaluate every player in real time. How can he do that if he is also sharpening his own game? On Fridays and Saturdays, there is a quick turnaround between morning and afternoon matches. If Bradley plays a morning match, he can’t use morning matches to help him choose his afternoon pairings, because he will only see one other American play: his partner. If Bradley tries to pre-empt this problem by benching himself each morning, then he is choosing morning pairings based on something other than who is playing the best.
Now consider what will happen if Bradley doesn’t pick himself.
He will, of course, be able to focus on being captain. That means supporting players, pushing psychological buttons and dealing with the media with the clearest possible mind.
But it would also give Bradley credibility that some American captains never had. Every player on his team will know he could have picked himself. He could have paid himself back for getting left off the team two years ago. He could have said “This is my last, best chance, and I’m doing it.” Instead, he did what was best for the team.
That would add power to any speech and validity to every decision. When Bradley benches a player, he can honestly say he benched himself first. He won’t even have to say it. They will all know.
This might be Bradley’s last, best chance to play in the Ryder Cup. But it is definitely his best chance to be a winning Ryder Cup captain. Before he leaves for New York next month, Bradley should take one long look at that still-packed suitcase from 2012, then put his clubs down next to it.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Keegan Bradley Can’t Pick Himself for His U.S. Ryder Cup Team.
