Gary Woodland was named as a vice-captain for the U.S. Ryder Cup team last week.
Keegan Bradley is determined to have the best team possible surrounding him at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.
In fact, many American golf fans believe that Woodland being named as a vice-captain means that Bradley will be playing at the Ryder Cup in September.
Woodland, 41, is a hugely popular figure on the PGA Tour, and a highly respected one as well.
He had a benign brain tumour removed in September 2023, and is beginning to get back to his old self now after undergoing successful surgery nearly two years ago.
Woodland has a T-2 and a T-11 finish to his name this year, and he will be hopeful ahead of the 2026 season.
However, his main priority now will be to play a key role in the United States winning back the Ryder Cup.
Keegan Bradley praised for making ‘really wise’ decision ahead of the Ryder Cup
Ryan Lavner and Rex Hoggard have been speaking about the merits of Woodland serving as a vice-captain at Bethpage Black in September.
On the Golf Channel’s Rex and Lav podcast, both journalists shared their differing opinions on Woodland.
Hoggard responded when asked of he thought it was a good move from Bradley to appoint the 41-year-old as a vice-captain: “I think so. Gary is respected in the team room. He is respected as a player, he is still very much an active player so he will be able to add a lot to those conversations about who you would pair him with.
“Also the health issues Gary has come through. Everyone respects what he has overcome, how he continues to play and how he continues to be on the PGA Tour. And given the fact that Keegan Bradley seems to be trending more and more towards a player than a captain, I think all of the vice captains will have a lot of voice.“
Then Lavner weighed into the debate.
He said: “I think it is an interesting choice. On my shortlist of favourites I don’t think I would have put him there. I think I would have put Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar ahead of him.
“But when I thought about it, I think it’s a really wise choice by Keegan Bradley. He’s still in his early 40s, he’s a beloved player, a lot of South Florida ties which is obviously what the majority of this US Ryder Cup team is going to be.
“Although he has been in only one US team previously, that was the 2019 Presidents Cup, the one that traveled to Australia with playing captain Tiger Woods, the guy absolutely bleeds red, white and blue.
And let’s be honest here Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker, regardless of what Keegan Bradley ends up doing as a potential playing captain, they are going to be doing the heavy lifting.
“This is an opportunity for Gary Woodland to plug some holes and I foresee him doing so quite well.“
Keegan Bradley said to have made a ‘startling’ Ryder Cup admission
All the signs right now are pointing to Bradley playing at the Ryder Cup.
However, Jamie Weir of Sky Sports believes that Bradley acting as a playing captain at the Ryder Cup would be a big mistake.
He said: “I found it startling that after the Travelers, he came out at that press conference and revealed the fact that Seth Waugh called him up and said we want you to do both.
“That was the first time I had heard him admit that and I was like really why? I just don’t think in this day and age it is possible to do both.
“I think there are so many demands as a captain and so many things you need to A) have in place beforehand, which you can still do I suppose. But B) you need to be thinking of the hoof.
“If plan A is not working you need to have a plan B, C and D ready to go and the captain needs to make calls and the captain might be out on the golf course playing Rory McIlroy at the time.
“I think it is very difficult in this day and age. In fact, I think it’s impossible. But he is clearly one of the 12 best American golfers, that is unquestionable.
“Whether he still will be come September, who knows. I think he is in a situation now where his duty as a captain is to assemble the best 12 players, so he is letting his team down if he does not pick himself.
“It’s a very confusing situation. I don’t really know how they have got into this situation but the one man who will be smiling from ear to ear is the man who has been in his role for three years straight and has all his ducks in a row and has his backroom team assembled, and is probably going to have a very similar looking team to what he did in Rome, and that’s Luke Donald.
“So perhaps it’s just what the US need, conversely. Perhaps having this left field choice and having this captain who is such a talismanic figure who pumps his chest and wears that red, white and blue and who it means so much to is exactly what they need on the course.
“It’s fascinating to see how this whole thing plays out but I was quite astounded when he admitted in that press conference after the Travelers that this was actually the plan all along. This is what Seth and the PGA of America wanted. I found that extraordinary.“
It is somewhat of a bizarre situation, and it is all self-inflicted, that’s the really strange thing.
Whether or not Bradley does play at the Ryder Cup remains to be seen. And only then will we know whether appointing him as the Ryder Cup captain in the first place was a big mistake or a masterstroke.
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