Dan Rapaport claims Keegan Bradley has made a very ‘interesting’ statement before the Ryder Cup and could have regret

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Keegan Bradley steps up his preparations for the Ryder Cup this week as the majority of his team take on the Procore Championship.

The Ryder Cup captain has already looked towards the future of American golf, with Bradley keeping tabs on the Walker Cup, which just took place at Cypress Point.

The home side emerged victorious at Pebble Beach, with the USA comfortably beating Great Britain and Ireland 17-9.

But Bradley’s immediate focus is on this week’s action in Napa, where 10 of his 12 Ryder Cup players will be involved.

The captain isn’t playing at Silverado Resort, while he also won’t play at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black later this month.

Dan Rapaport highlights ‘interesting’ Keegan Bradley statement before the Ryder Cup

Bradley missed out on an automatic qualifying spot, before opting against choosing himself as one of his six captain’s picks.

Dan Rapaport has now shared his verdict on that decision, saying on Dan on Golf: “The captaincy during the actual matches is overblown.

“I think there is so much which goes into the Ryder Cup because of how big it is now, as a logistical aspect of it.

READ MORE: America have a future Ryder Cup star already emerging although Keegan Bradley has not picked him this year

“How many interviews that Keegan has had to do. Everyone and their mother has had an exclusive interview with Keegan Bradley over the past year.

“Having to make the picks is a hard thing to do. Setting a culture and building a team is maybe even harder now, I know Bryson [DeChambeau] is the only LIV player on the team but there is that sort of aspect. That is the hard part of being captain.

“That’s why at the beginning of the year I said I think he should say right now I am not playing no matter what, because I thought dealing with that double life would torpedo his game. It had the opposite effect.

“He is playing what he said he believes to be the best golf of his career. He said ‘I believe that in my bones’ which is an interesting thing to say because you played on a Ryder Cup team earlier and you think you’re a better player now? Interesting thing to say.

“But that part is done to a certain extent. Now it’s the fun part. By playing as well as he did with all that going on.

“I can’t imagine how deeply confident he must feel about his golf right now. He has had so many more demands on his time, it has been harder for sure, but he’s talked about finding this incredible refuge between the ropes and I think that dynamic could have existed.

“He still could have been the captain who is speaking at the opening ceremony and is hustling off the golf course to give the final say.

“But you have five assistant captains, you have a whole squad of data people, you plan for every contingency, you know all the potential pairings going in. I just think he could have played.

“It’s the most efficient decision but I just think, and maybe this is part of me being a content creator and wanting the story, I think he might regret it. I would tell him that to his face.

“I just think it was a unique, amazing opportunity and I understand why he didn’t do it but I’m sad that he didn’t.”

Why Keegan Bradley made the right decision not to pick himself for the Ryder Cup

Bradley found himself under huge pressure in the build-up to his picks, with fans completely in the dark about what decision he would make.

In the end, the captain opted for Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns.

And that should prove to be a wise decision, with a Ryder Cup captain’s role difficult enough without the added pressure of playing.

He could have gained legendary status in American golf by playing and winning, but the risks far outweigh the rewards given the criticism that would have gone his way if he played and lost.

Moreover, a huge weight has now been lifted from his shoulders, which again suggests he’s made the right decision.

And perhaps above all, his six captain’s picks were arguably in better form than he was heading into the event, even with his superb season on the PGA Tour.

It was, however, certainly an intriguing statement from Bradley on his current form, which resulted in an 11th-place finish in the American Ryder Cup standings.

He has played at the tournament twice during his career so far, in 2012 and 2014, posting a 4-3-0 record.