Ranking the six most likely replacements for Keegan Bradley as USA’s Ryder Cup captain if he steps down from his role

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All of the talk on the PGA Tour right now is concerning whether Keegan Bradley can act as a playing captain at the Ryder Cup in September.

Bradley was named as the U.S. Ryder Cup team captain last year, but his sensational form since then has seen him jump into contention to qualify for the showdown at Bethpage Black.

Back in May, Bradley had an ‘epiphany’ that he could become the first Ryder Cup playing captain for the USA in 62 years.

However, around the same time, Bradley suggested he was unsure about his Ryder Cup role, and discussed whether he would be able to juggle both playing on the team and fulfilling his duties as captain.

“Yeah, I don’t know. I’m just trying to be a player right now,“ Bradley explained.

“Honestly, it’s not even crossing my mind at this point.

“No. I’m the captain right now,” he added. “If we get down to the Playoffs and I’m in the picture, then I’ll start thinking about it. But I’m thinking of myself as a player first.”

However, after his win at the Travelers Championship on Sunday, playing as part of his own Ryder Cup will most definitely be on his mind.

There is simply no way of avoiding the discussion now.

Bradley will have to make a very big decision soon, and if he does decide to move aside and allow someone else to take the reins, there are plenty of front-runners ready and waiting to step into his position as the U.S. team captain.

Six most likely replacements for Keegan Bradley as Ryder Cup captain

So if Bradley does play on the team and decides to step down, who could take his place?

The good news for the United States is that there is no shortage of potential replacements for the newly-crowned Travelers Championship winner.

Here are the Golfing Gazette’s six top ranked players who could replace Bradley, ordered from the most to least likely.

1 – Jim Furyk

Furyk is one of Bradley’s four vice-captains for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. The 55-year-old has served as captain for Team USA twice before – at the 2018 Ryder Cup and the 2024 Presidents Cup. He is the hot favourite to replace Bradley as captain, if the 39-year-old does decide to step down.

2 – Brandt Snedeker

Snedeker, 44, has played on two Ryder Cup teams and one Presidents Cup team. He is a hugely popular character on the PGA Tour amongst his peers, and would be a popular selection to lead Team USA out at Bethpage Black.

3 – Webb Simpson

Simpson has six Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup appearances combined to his name. He is extremely level-headed, and the fact that he is already one of Bradley’s vice-captains makes him a very strong candidate for the top job.

4 – Kevin Kisner

Kisner, another one of Bradley’s four vice-captains for Bethpage, is an absolute bulldog of a man, and he would bring plenty of attitude, energy, motivation and spirit to the American Ryder Cup camp, if he replaced Bradley as the lead man. Kisner probably has an outside shot of being named as captain right now, but it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he stepped into Bradley’s shoes.

5 – Tiger Woods

Woods’ record in the game speaks for itself. He has been a part of eight Ryder Cup teams and nine Presidents Cup teams, one of which was as a playing captain in 2019. Back in 2024, Woods said that he would not be ready to captain the Ryder Cup team in 2025, but perhaps that could change if Bradley does step down.

6 – Steve Stricker

Stricker captained the victorious 2021 U.S. Ryder Cup team at Whistling Straits. The 58-year-old Wisconsin native leads with a certain air of calmness that is crucial during big events like the Ryder Cup. He could have an outside chance of taking Bradley’s captaincy role, if it does indeed become available. Stricker would certainly be a safe pair of hands.

All of those names mentioned are genuine candidates to lead the United States into battle against Europe in three months‘ time.

However, the way that Bradley spoke after his victory on Sunday seemed to suggest that he’s very keen to act as a playing captain.

Russell Henley said whether Bradley should be a playing captain at the Ryder Cup

Henley played alongside Bradley during the final round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on Sunday.

And Henley responded when asked whether Bradley is capable of performing the roles of both a player and a captain at the Ryder Cup.

He said: “I mean, I hope so. I mean, he’s what 15th in the world and just won? So probably close to 10 now. I mean, he’s playing great. He’s been playing great. I think he would be a great teammate.“

There’s a good chance that the views of the five-time PGA Tour winner are shared by many other American players.

However, it is worth noting that Bradley acting as a playing captain would be welcome news for the Europeans.

The role of a Ryder Cup captain in the modern era is incredibly demanding, as is that of being a player, and it is questionable as to whether he would be able to give both duties his full attention.

Whilst Bradley might be desperate to both captain and play on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, he may well be doing his country a disservice by doing so.

The strong consensus amongst people in the know is that he needs to choose one or the other.