Keegan Bradley has been left in a really tight spot ahead of the Ryder Cup by the PGA of America, and it really didn’t need to be this way.
Bradley has some pretty much impossible decisions to make over the course of the next 30 hours or so, before he has to name his six captain’s picks for the US Ryder Cup team.
The 39-year-old has been in superb form on the PGA Tour this season and there is absolutely no question that he is one of the best six American players right now, let alone one of the best 12.
It has been suggested that Bradley could pick himself for the Ryder Cup and potentially leave a big name player out, like Collin Morikawa.
The eight-time PGA Tour winner will be more than justified if he names himself on the team for Bethpage Black.
In fact, it seems like many of the top American golfers would be disappointed if Bradley does not play at the Ryder Cup next month.
Whatever way you look at it, the Ryder Cup captain faces an almost impossible decision. In fact, he’s been put in a no-win situation.
One thing’s for certain – Luke Donald and the European players must be watching all of this unfold with huge smiles on their faces.
PGA of America are to blame for Keegan Bradley’s situation ahead of the Ryder Cup
While being named as the Ryder Cup captain is a dream for almost every single professional golfer, Bradley’s current situation is an unenviable one.
The sad truth of the matter is that it didn’t need to be that way.
The PGA of America have stitched up Bradley by making a totally needless decision. He’s now in a completely no-win situation ahead of naming his Ryder Cup picks.
If the 39-year-old was not named as Ryder Cup captain this year, he’d be an absolute lock to be on the team.
And now, if Bradley decides not to pick himself, it’s a fact that he will not be taking the best 12 American players to Bethpage Black.
However, on the other hand, if Bradley does pick himself, he will immediately pile intense pressure on his shoulders.
Every single time he plays, he will have to avoid defeat if he is to escape criticism and justify his selection.
While Bradley would have been extremely honoured to be named as captain of the US Ryder Cup team, he must be thinking, in the back of his mind at least, that he should have been given the gig a few years down the line.
2029 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine or Olympic Club in 2033 perfect for Keegan Bradley
The PGA of America apparently wanted to take a new route when it comes to appointing Ryder Cup captain.
It was claimed that there would be no more cases of Ryder Cup captains who are not playing regularly on the PGA Tour anymore.
However, that new approach has caused a huge problem in the sense that Bradley is now stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Whatever decision he makes on Wednesday regarding his captain’s picks will be immediately scrutinised.
Naming Bradley as the Ryder Cup captain at 38 seemed like a really bizarre decision at the time, and the issues that have subsequently arisen since then prove that it was a poorly thought out one as well.
What did the PGA of America expect by naming a man who is pretty much in his prime golfing years as the captain of the team? They must have known there was at least a possibility that their decision could put Bradley in a tight squeeze.
Perhaps the United States should have followed the European model, and named a captain who is in his late 40s and still competes on the PGA Tour but doesn’t play a full schedule.
The 2029 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine or the 2033 edition of the event at The Olympic Club in San Francisco would have been far better options for Bradley.
An absolutely needless problem has been created by the PGA of America, and Bradley is the one who will bear the brunt of it if the outcome isn’t a favourable one for the United States.
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