With the FedEx playoffs looming, Keegan Bradley will probably have more than one eye on the Ryder Cup, with Bethpage Black rapidly emerging on the horizon.
With only Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy officially booking their tickets to the Ryder Cup, there is plenty to play for over the course of the FedEx Cup playoffs on the PGA Tour, as well as a handful of events on the DP World Tour.
Bryson DeChambeau’s place in the team has been confirmed by his captain. Meanwhile, there are plenty of names who will almost certainly be teeing it up at Bethpage unless they sustain a late injury. The likes of Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele will surely be in New York.
But one of the big names whose role is yet to be determined is, of course, Keegan Bradley.
Hunter Mahan issues his verdict on the idea of Keegan Bradley being a playing captain at the Ryder Cup
Bradley was a shock pick to be the captain. At the time, he was inside the top 20 in the world rankings. And he has now won in each of the last four years on the PGA Tour.
Immediately, it became very clear that Bradley could become the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963. And after his win at Travelers Championship, it seemed inevitable that he would be playing.
Obviously, that comes with its own issues. The captaincy role is so demanding. So it would be a monumental effort for Bradley to play as well, even if he only features in three sessions.
But speaking on The Loop, Hunter Mahan – who played alongside Bradley at the 2014 Ryder Cup – suggested that it could be important for Bradley to set an example to his team.
“I actually think it’s a great idea. I think he provides so much passion. Passion is a weird thing to think about but I think it’s a real thing that Europe does not have a passion problem,” he said.
“I think the US guys love it and want to compete but it’s a bit like the SEC man. They just want it more. That’s sort of like a real thing! That is what it looked like to me.
“Europe will do anything to win and the US are just like we should have played better. There is some difference there.
“It’s never felt like they have better chemistry, but you can just tell it means more to the European side. It just does.
“So maybe that last one will help the US side realise that it’s not fun being demolished, it was 4-0 after the first session. It was over. I talked to a guy on the team and he said ‘bro it was over after that first day’. For as much as you weren’t really out of it, 4-0 right out the gate was tough. It was too late.
“By the time Patrick [Cantlay] got going and everything got more emotional and chippy it was over by that point. You have to be chippy and you have to be there as soon as you get there. You have to realise this is going to be a dog fight.
“So they need exactly what Keegan brings and I think Keegan is going to make a team and build a team, not just build some talent. He will build a team of dudes who are going to be really invested in winning, and if you are not one million percent in on winning, I just can’t have you on the team. I need dudes who are just ready to go to battle as soon as they set foot on a golf course and understand what that takes.
“I think it’s great for him to be a captain and play because he is going to be on the course and see and feel everything. So I think he will be able to speak about that to all the players and I think it will give him a really good sense of his team, honestly. Of being able to play and see everything, I think he will be so dialled into the team because of his experience and being a player/captain, I think that could really benefit him.
“I think having Furyk there will be that pseudo captain who can help everything, but I do think he is building a team that is going to be just ready to go from the second that they get there because you don’t have time to waste in these things.”
The mistake Team USA made last year which could definitely hurt Keegan Bradley
The worry for the USA team is that the playing captain role is not something that Bradley can really prepare for.
While he will have captaincy on his mind every time he plays this season, he does not need to make quick decisions pertaining to the Ryder Cup while concentrating on his own game.
But USA did have an opportunity to help Bradley somewhat.
The 39-year-old was named a vice-captain on Jim Furyk‘s team for the Presidents Cup last year at Royal Montreal. It looked to be a smart move with the Ryder Cup one year away.
However, once Bradley made the team as a player, Furyk decided to replace him as a vice-captain to allow him to concentrate on playing.
While that decision was understandable, it was arguably the perfect time to see if Bradley could handle both roles over that week in Canada.
If he had been unable to, then he would have got an idea of just how difficult being a playing captain at the Ryder Cup would be.
But it now seems to be a big gamble whichever decision is made. That surely piles the pressure on as USA look to avoid becoming the first home team to lose since 2012.
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