Keegan Bradley given strong warning over what could happen if the Ryder Cup goes wrong and he plays

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Keegan Bradley continues to attract attention as the Ryder Cup nears, with his exact role at Bethpage Black still up in the air.

Bradley knows the Ryder Cup hopefuls are nervous, with the captain himself also in that bracket given his potential to play at the tournament.

Patrick Cantlay thinks Bradley should play at the Ryder Cup, and their fellow American Rickie Fowler is of the same opinion.

Bradley was moved by Cantlay and Fowler after their Ryder Cup comments, with all three players returning to PGA Tour action in Maryland this week.

The trio are in the field for the BMW Championship, the second of the three FedExCup Playoff tournaments.

Keegan Bradley issued strong warning if the Ryder Cup goes badly and he plays

Plenty is at stake at Caves Valley, where the American Ryder Cup hopefuls have one final chance to secure an automatic spot at Bethpage Black.

And Bradley’s role has come under the spotlight once more ahead of the event, with Rex Hoggard saying of his potential playing role on Golf Channel: “Will he? Yes.

“I think he will pick himself based on I think the other players, who have either qualified or will qualify for the team – we have heard Rickie Fowler say it and Patrick Cantlay say it – he is among the 12 [best Americans].

READ MORE: Keegan Bradley’s ability to pick himself for the Ryder Cup becomes much harder as three players make ‘statement’

“When you look at this World Golf Ranking he is the seventh best golf ranking, by far he should be on the team.

“Data Golf, which seems to be where everyone is skewing towards these days with the golf world rankings, he is the 10th best. If you look at total strokes gained on the PGA Tour, he is ninth.

“By every metric he should be on that team. Now, he is cooling off at the wrong time, but I do think he is among the top 12 Americans.

“If that is the starting point then yes [he should]. But what fascinates me here is that captains are open to so much criticism already. All you need is one thing to go wrong.

“Corey Pavin is still thinking about the rain gear from that Ryder Cup because of how poorly it went. That was such a small, minute thing that the media dug into to criticise that team.

“Could you imagine the scenario a week after Bethpage if things don’t go the United States’ way and Keegan plays, what the second-guessing will be like?”

Adding to the debate, Eamon Lynch noted: “Could you imagine what it would be like if Keegan plays in the first session and doesn’t win a point? The second-guessing would start immediately in real time out there.

“You can make every statistical and performance argument that yes, Keegan Bradley absolutely is one of the best 12 Americans and would be additive to that team.

“The problem is that Keegan accepted the responsibility of another job that probably has a greater impact on the week as a player.

“He is replaceable as a player, but it’s questionable if he is as easily replaceable as a captain, but maybe he thinks he is.”

What is Keegan Bradley’s Data Golf Ranking and Official World Golf Ranking?

Intriguingly, captain Bradley currently occupies 10th place in the American Ryder Cup qualification standings.

He has one win to his name on the PGA Tour this season, but has somewhat struggled in more recent times.

Bradley superbly won the Travelers Championship in June, but last week finished T44 at the St. Jude Championship after missing the cut at the Wyndham Championship.

His displays place him 20th in the Data Golf Rankings and 12th in the Official World Golf Ranking, which do not recognise LIV Golf events.

Importantly, Bradley can take great confidence going into the latest tournament on the PGA Tour after his success at the 2024 BMW Championship.

He produced a superb display to see off Ludvig Aberg, Adam Scott and Sam Burns by one shot, although the event was held at Castle Pines as opposed to Caves Valley.