Golf writer Ryan Lavner believes that one of the players on the 2023 US Ryder Cup team is now more than likely to end up being named as one of Keegan Bradley’s vice-captains – following the 38-year-old’s surprise appointment this week.
The US have definitely caused quite the stir with their decision to announce Keegan Bradley as their captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. Before the reports started to emerge, few would surely have imagined that the 2011 PGA Champion would get the nod.
The decision could prove to be inspired, but it does perhaps highlight how the Americans have needed to change course, with Tiger Woods turning down the role and a few of his peers making the jump to LIV Golf.
The US’s previous attempts to change course have paid off, with Paul Azinger doing a brilliant job in 2008, while the task force introduced after 2014 was able to celebrate an emphatic victory two years later.
35-year-old tipped to be one of Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup vice-captains
But many will be intrigued to see which vice-captains Bradley opts for, as he may want experience in his backroom team while also opening the door for future captains.
And with that, Ryan Lavner has told the Golf Channel Podcast that he would not be surprised to see one 35-year-old as a vice-captain in New York.
“You look at it, Zach Johnson, his vice-captains in Rome were Davis Love, Fred Couples, Stewart Cink, Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker, with Tiger Woods very much involved from home. And so, I love the idea of a Ryder Cup captain who looks and sounds and mirrors what the sport looks like at large. Like if you look at the NFL, it’s gotten younger and younger with head coaches under the age of 45 who don’t necessarily have coaching experience prior to that. You look at the NBA coaches like Steve Kerr and Jason Kidd who have skipped that step of being an assistant coach. I do like that aspect of Team USA going in that direction with the Ryder Cup as well,” he said.
“However, there is a balance to strike here, owing to that experience gap. He needs to fill in his vice-captaincies very efficiently and effectively here. That’s where I think he can bring in a Fred Couples, a Steve Stricker, a Davis Love III, he said he’s going to use Tiger as much as he’s willing to, and then you can also spin it ahead where I would imagine a Rickie Fowler would be a lock to be an assistant captain for this team, just because he’s able to bridge that generational divide as well.”
A future US captain
It is hard to think of Fowler as a veteran of the tour, but he did make his Ryder Cup debut at Celtic Manor in 2010, and he has gone on to make four further appearances in the event.
Fowler will be the age Bradley is now when the 2027 Ryder Cup comes around, and will be 40 the next time it is played on American soil after Bethpage. So he has genuinely become a contender to captain one of the next two sides after this call on Bradley.
If Bradley does make him a vice-captain, that will certainly provide a clear hint that Fowler is likely to make the step up in the near future.
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