Keegan Bradley has really impressed in his role as Ryder Cup captain for the most part, but he could have been so much braver in regard to one specific decision he made.
Bradley has worked extremely hard to instil a certain kind of team unity into the American Ryder Cup side that has been missing in previous years.
In fact, Bradley has been widely praised for how he’s handled the Ryder Cup captaincy, and rightly so.
The showdown at Bethpage Black is now just 10 days away and the closer we get to the event, the more the excitement continues to build.
However, the US captain will have one or two concerns on his mind right now.
One of the main worries for Bradley will be the form of Justin Thomas ahead of the Ryder Cup.
The 32-year-old hasn’t been anywhere near good enough over the past four months, and his wayward driving could cause huge problems at Bethpage.
However, Thomas’ form is not the only worry for the Americans.
The problem for Bradley is that the back end of the United States team isn’t as strong as it has historically been.
It’s fair to argue that the main reason for that is that Bradley selected a player for his side who is woefully out of form.
Keegan Bradley made a big mistake with one Ryder Cup captain’s pick
The main question mark hanging over Bradley before he made his captain’s picks was whether or not he would select himself.
He chose to focus purely on his captain’s duties in the end, but it does feel strange that the 12th ranked player in the world will not be at the Ryder Cup.
The PGA of America put him in an incredibly difficult position. If Bradley wasn’t captain, he would almost certainly have received a pick from whoever was named as the leader of the US team.
And the man to miss out may well have been Collin Morikawa. There is a real argument to be made that Bradley wasn’t brave enough and chose the safe option instead by including the 28-year-old on his team.
Morikawa is working really hard to find something ahead of the Ryder Cup, and that’s just not what you want to see from your players 10 days ahead of the start of the event.
Picking Morikawa was the safe selection because he finished eighth in the Ryder Cup points list.
It was the safe choice because he is a proven winner with six PGA Tour titles including two major championships to his name.
However, the reality is that ‘safe’ decision could cost Bradley dearly.
The brave call would have been to pick himself or Maverick McNealy, and I can promise you now, the European team would have feared a US side with one of those two players in the lineup more than the current one featuring Morikawa.
Sure, Bradley can camouflage the 28-year-old’s weakness in the fourball matches, but there will be nowhere to hide come Sunday singles.
The reality of the matter is that Morikawa hasn’t won a PGA Tour event since October 2023. He has recorded more missed cuts than top-10 finishes since The Players Championship and the two weakest parts of his game – driving distance and putting – are the two most important attributes needed to succeed at Bethpage Black.
Bradley may have thought he was taking the safe option by picking Morikawa, and perhaps it was in the context of how the media would have reacted to the Ryder Cup captain leaving the two-time major winner off his team.
However, taking Morikawa to Bethpage was anything but the safe decision. He may well be the player who is the difference between the United States winning and losing the Ryder Cup.
Collin Morikawa’s stats highlight obvious weaknesses ahead of the Ryder Cup
Morikawa was one of the world’s best players only 18 months ago. However, his form has nose-dived recently, especially over the past year.
McNealy and Bradley have both been far more accomplished players than Morikawa throughout the season.
For context, here is how his stats and results on the PGA Tour in 2025 match up to McNealy’s and Bradley’s:
| Stats and Results | Morikawa | McNealy | Bradley |
| Strokes gained off the tee | 14th | 52nd | 31st |
| Strokes gained approach | 3rd | 49th | 46th |
| Strokes gained around the green | 104th | 114th | 7th |
| Strokes gained putting | 141st | 19th | 105th |
| Strokes gained total | 16th | 21st | 12th |
| Events played | 20 | 25 | 21 |
| Wins | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Top-10s | 4 | 7 | 6 |
| Missed cuts | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Money earned | $7,776,627 | $8,322,575 | $8,702,812 |
While there is not much to separate the three players from those stats above, Morikawa’s putting stats and his weakness around the green is hard to ignore.
As we all know, momentum is hugely important in matchplay. Matches swing on big moments, usually through either chip-ins or putts holed.
Morikawa has struggled badly with the flatstick this season, and his lack of confidence on the greens could cost the United States, and indeed Bradley, dearly at Bethpage next week.
What’s most concerning about the 2021 Open champion’s form is the fact that he has been so lost on the golf course over the past two months.
Sure, form is temporary and class is permanent, but Morikawa’s dip in form has been going on for so long now that it might be time to accept that his true level is where he’s at right now.
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