Keegan Bradley says what has been ‘really strange’ and shocked him in the build up to his Ryder Cup team announcement

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Keegan Bradley recently announced his captain’s picks for the United States team for the Ryder Cup next month.

He selected Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay, and Sam Burns.

Bradley’s most important decision was not to become the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer, who did so at the 1963 Ryder Cup at East Lake.

His dilemma was the biggest talking point throughout the season, and the speculation over it took him by surprise.

• READ MORE: Keegan Bradley hits back at Rory McIlroy’s comments after announcing his US team for the Ryder Cup

Keegan Bradley surprised by speculation over Ryder Cup captaincy

Bradley explained at his press conference that the captaincy was his main focus all season, despite all the noise about him playing.

However, he admitted that the possibility of becoming a playing captain seemed likely after winning the Travelers Championship in June.

“It’s really strange. I have been really surprised at the attention this has gotten,” Bradley said. “I understand the weight and the history and all that comes with it, but I was really focused on being the captain the whole year.

“I never really considered playing until after Travelers, and then that was really on the table for a while.”

Still, Bradley knew deep down that it was best for the United States team to stick with the captaincy alone, so that’s what he decided.

“But I was really interested in being the best captain that I could be, and ultimately, I felt like I was really comfortable with the guys,” he continued. “I was extremely comfortable, and I felt I could best serve the team this way.

“I don’t care if I play or don’t play as long as we win on Sunday. That’s the only outcome I care about. That’s the decision that we have made, and it’s strange that it has got so much hype, but I don’t know, the Ryder Cup is a big deal apparently!”

Why Keegan Bradley can accept not playing in the Ryder Cup

Bradley is disappointed that he will not be playing at Bethpage, but he has full confidence in his team to win the Ryder Cup.

The performances of the fringe players, such as Cameron Young and Sam Burns, in recent weeks convinced him that he was not needed to achieve that.

“I was considering playing on the team,” Bradley added. “I was never 100%. But to see how well these guys played, most of them finished in the top 10 in Atlanta and throughout the playoffs. We were playing Ryder Cup pressure and under extreme FedEx Cup pressure.

“There was a lot on the line in these events, and they performed every week. Not some weeks, every week, and that was really important in our decision.”