After Keegan Bradley won the Travelers Championship on Sunday, some would have found it harder to imagine the 39-year-old still captaining the US Ryder Cup team than him playing at Bethpage.
Keegan Bradley is now up to seventh in the world rankings while he is ninth in the qualification standings for the Ryder Cup after his victory at the Travelers Championship on Sunday.
The 2011 PGA Championship winner made a birdie on the last hole at TPC River Highlands to beat Tommy Fleetwood and Russell Henley in Connecticut.
Bradley’s win has reopened the debate over the role he will play at the Ryder Cup in September. When he was named as skipper, it appeared to be entirely possible that he would become the first playing captain in the event since Arnold Palmer in 1962.
Keegan Bradley confirms whether he is considering standing down as US Ryder Cup captain
Bradley went on to win the BMW Championship last year. But it is his latest victory which makes it almost impossible to imagine a Ryder Cup team in New York which does not include him.
The question will now be whether Bradley can do both roles. If he did decide to step down, the PGA of America would have a number of potential candidates to replace him, including Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker.
But speaking on Dan on Golf, Bradley insisted that he has no plans at all to consider handing over the top job to someone else.
“I’m definitely still going to be the captain. I’m not stepping down or any of that. I’ve put too much work into this, but I do have incredible vice-captains. Before I said where I definitely wasn’t going to play, I didn’t have any of these guys. Now that I’ve been around them, Jim Furyk, Sneds and Kisner and one more to come, I feel a lot more comfortable with that,” he said.
The dilemma Keegan Bradley still has despite his victory at the Travelers Championship
Bradley is in a slightly awkward position at this stage of the season. Of course, winning the last signature event of the year is significant and, realistically, all but secures his spot at Bethpage.
However, he is still 10th in the standings. It is far too soon for Bradley to publicly announce that he will be playing. It would really be a poor look if he did struggle over the coming weeks.
It would also leave those sat between seventh and ninth in the standings potentially assuming that they will also be included given that they are ahead of Bradley right now.
Perhaps his stance could change if it becomes apparent that he is going to play a prominent role across the five sessions. But Bradley’s comments hint that it is indeed becoming increasingly likely that he is on course to become the first playing captain in more than 60 years.
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