What Keegan Bradley said about being playing captain at the Ryder Cup when asked last year at the BMW Championship

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Keegan Bradley has both the PGA Tour and the Ryder Cup on his mind this week as he takes on the BMW Championship.

Bradley enters the final round of the BMW Championship in T29, joining Justin Thomas, Justin Rose and Daniel Berger on two-over.

He has carded rounds of 72, 70 and 70 at Caves Valley, host of the tournament that Bradley won last year.

The American finished on 12-under last year at Castle Pines, one stroke ahead of Sam Burns, Ludvig Aberg and Adam Scott.

Aberg is in contention once more this time around, with his fellow European Robert MacIntyre having taken a four-shot lead into Sunday’s final round.

What Keegan Bradley said about being a Ryder Cup playing captain at the 2024 BMW Championship

Bradley shocked himself at the 2024 BMW Championship, after which he was incidentally asked about his role at this year’s Ryder Cup.

The captain was posed the question in August 2024: “When you were handed the Ryder Cup captaincy, I think in Europe there was a sort of feeling that maybe it was an acceptance we’d seen the best of you as a player, but we’ve probably got to change that view now. Do you think if this form continues, being a playing captain is a realistic alternative?”

READ MORE: Keegan Bradley given strong warning over what could happen if the Ryder Cup goes wrong and he plays

Bradley responded: “Well, I know the people that elected me to be the Ryder Cup captain didn’t feel that way.

“They made that clear to me. Not that I really cared what they think. I’m proud to be the Ryder Cup captain.

“I would love to be a playing captain. I know it’s never… no one has really had the opportunity that I’ve had.

“I think you could have given Phil [Mickelson] or Tiger [Woods] a chance to be captain at my age and they would have played on the teams.

“But it’s never really had a chance to happen. It’s going to be really hard for me to make that team, but if I make the team, I’ll play.

“I don’t see myself being a captain’s pick. But I’ll be proud to just be the captain. If I have to go out there and play, I’d love to do that, too.”

The ‘obligation’ Keegan Bradley once admitted he had as Ryder Cup captain

Of course, a lot has changed since Bradley’s winning moment this time last year, with the captain in with a fine chance of making the Ryder Cup team.

He currently occupies 10th place in the American rankings for Bethpage Black, with the top six set to be finalised after the BMW Championship concludes.

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Also sharing insight into his responsibility levels for Bethpage, and indeed how he’s tried to balance that by playing and practicing, he replied at the time: “Well, I just feel like I have an obligation to some of the younger players to talk to them, get to know them a little more.

“Nothing that has been work by any means. It’s actually been fun for me to get to know Sahith [Theegala] and some of these younger guys that have just gotten out here.

“A guy like Cameron Young, you think he’s been out here forever, this is only his third Playoffs. That’s been most of it. Little things like picking out the golf bag and stuff. But that’s not hard work.

“I expect things to ramp up, and I’m lucky to have Brandt [Snedeker] and Webb [Simpson] to bounce ideas off of, and it’s been great.”

Bradley will have been working closely with Snedeker and Simpson in the months since, with the vice captains joined in that role by Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner and Gary Woodland.

All the hard work on and off the course will culminate at Bethpage next month, where Bradley and his compatriots will be under immense pressure to deliver on home soil.