Akshay Bhatia gives his honest thoughts on America making Keegan Bradley captain for the Ryder Cup this year

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Akshay Bhatia is one of the most exciting young players on the PGA Tour at the moment.

Bhatia made his Tour debut at the Valspar Championship six seasons ago, but he’s still only 23 years old.

He won his first event – the Barracuda Championship – in 2023 and his second – the Valero Texas Open, last April.

He’s now climbed up to 26th in the Official World Golf Ranking and has a realistic chance to make the next Ryder Cup team.

• READ MORE: Akshay Bhatia points out what Rory McIlroy did during his second round at The Masters which was ‘a joke’

Akshay Bhatia shares opinion on Keegan Bradley as United States Ryder Cup captain

Keegan Bradley will ultimately decide whether Bhatia makes the United States team for Bethpage Black in September.

The 38-year-old also has a slim chance to play himself, which is an unusual situation for a Ryder Cup captain.

But Bhatia explained recently that it’s “really refreshing” that an active PGA Tour player will lead the team.

“I think it’s really cool,” he said. “I think it’s a refreshing perspective that Keegan is going to have because he can relate a lot more to some of the guys, especially with a lot of us being in Jupiter.

“He is playing the Tour every week, and so I think it’s a really refreshing moment, and I think with the venue and where Keegan is from, it’s just such a perfect fit.

“Obviously you can tell how much he cares. The little things go a long way for us. I am excited, I think it’s going to be a really cool kind of atmosphere for him to represent this year.”

Akshay Bhatia and Keegan Bradley unlikely to qualify for United States Ryder Cup team

The top six players in the qualification standings following the BMW Championship on August 17 will automatically make the USA team.

Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele could probably stop playing today and still make the cut, while Collin Morikawa and Bryson DeChambeau are also in great positions.

That leaves two qualification places, with Arnold Palmer Invitational winner Russell Henley and Maverick McNealy currently occupying those spots.

Bhatia and Bradley currently rank 18th and 22nd, respectively, so it’s hard to imagine them climbing into the first six.

They will both need to rely on the captain’s picks to feature at Bethpage, which is a particularly interesting dilemma for Bradley.