Jon Rahm has made an admission following the news that the US have appointed Keegan Bradley as the next Ryder Cup captain.
The golf world seemed to be left stunned this week when it was confirmed that Keegan Bradley would lead the American team at Bethpage Black as they look to regain the Ryder Cup after their disappointing defeat in Rome last year.
It did appear that Tiger Woods was likely to take on the role. However, Woods rejected the captaincy, and with that, the PGA of America turned to the 38-year-old – who is very much in contention to qualify for the Presidents Cup team later this year.
Bradley has also left the door open to qualify as a playing captain in New York, just as Woods did at the 2019 Presidents Cup. That perhaps provide an indication of how left-field this appointment seems to be after years of picking names well past the peak of their powers as a player.
Jon Rahm reacts as US name Keegan Bradley as next Ryder Cup captain
So it should come as no surprise that Jon Rahm was taken aback by the news, with the Spaniard being asked in his press conference ahead of this week’s LIV event if he was surprised.
“Yeah, I don’t know why. I just, I heard so many people say it was going to be Tiger, Tiger at Bethpage. I’m like, that makes sense, right. He’s won the U.S. Open at Bethpage, and it is Tiger Woods. So I felt like that made a lot of sense,” he said.
“But I understand Keegan, as well, right. His Ryder Cup showings, he was a very enthusiastic player. He made his mark. Him and Phil had a great partnership, and there’s some great highlights from him at Medinah.
“So he’s a man from the northeast. I know Boston and New York, usually not friends, but I think for that week, they will just adopt him for the week. Yeah, I can see it. I can understand why he was picked.”
Who could be next for the US?
It is going to be fascinating to see how Bradley leads the team, particularly as he remains in the top 20 in the world rankings and still has plenty to offer as a player.
Should the move pay off, it may influence how the US also picks their future captains. Surely Woods will do the role at some stage, but we may not be too far away from someone like Jordan Spieth or Rickie Fowler doing the job.
That seems remarkable to say right now, but Fowler, for example, will be 40 by the time the Ryder Cup returns to American soil after next year.
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