Keegan Bradley won The Travelers Championship and in doing so has propelled himself up the world rankings and in with a realistic shot of being a playing captain at the upcoming Ryder Cup.
There was always going to be a chance that Bradley ended up on his own team but those chances have increased massively now after his dramatic win over Tommy Fleetwood yesterday.
Bradley hinted in his post round interviews that he’d be playing for the team but since then, there’s already been plenty of debate about whether he should or shouldn’t play and captain.
Dame Laura Davies has warned Bradley that doing both roles would be a mistake, and now, having their own say on matters, former Masters winner Trevor Immelman has also weighed in on the argument.
And for Immelman, there’s a clear decision that needs to be made.
Trevor Immelman says if Keegan Bradley should still be Team USA’s Ryder Cup captain
With Bradley being so young for a captain at a Ryder Cup and also being in such good form in recent times, this was always going to rear its head this year.
There was a point where Bradley was looking like he’d not be high enough up anyway and the decision would be out of his hands.
Now, though, he’s right in the mix and few would argue he’s not a top 12 player in the USA.
Indeed, according to Trevor Immelman, there’s simply no way now that Bradley can be the skipper.
“In my opinion there is just no way nowadays you could be captain of a Ryder Cup or a Presidents Cup and play.
“There is just so many responsibilities that are at the feet of the captain. So many decisions that need to be made before the tournament and then during the week. You want your players to be single minded and focused on themselves, to be focused on this high pressure situation they are in,” Immelman said.
“Now you have got a guy in Keegan Bradley who absolutely should be playing. You cannot even start an argument with me trying to explain that he is not one of the 12 best American golfers in the world.
In my opinion he is in the top six or seven. So they are in a tough spot right now.
“The water has just got a little murky for them. Because how does he not play at this point? He is playing so well and has had four wins on the PGA Tour in the last three years. He has won this tournament twice in the last three years. There are some interesting times ahead for the American team trying to figure out exactly how they want to go about this.”
The last playing captain for Team USA in the Ryder Cup as Keegan Bradley faces a huge call
There is a reason so much is being made of this upcoming decision for Bradley.
It just doesn’t happen and frankly, makes the job twice as hard with the responsibilities and pressures that come with it.
In fact, it’s so rare that the last man to do it for Team USA was Arnold Palmer, all the way back in 1963.
Prior to Palmer, it was a lot more common, with more than 20 other instances of players being both a player and captain in the event.
With so much pressure, it would be amazing to see Bradley take both roles on, even though he has suggested he’s open to the challenge.
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