Kevin Kisner discloses what he’s been telling Keegan Bradley ‘all the time’ about playing at the Ryder Cup

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The golfing world is now counting down the hours until Keegan Bradley announces his six picks for the Ryder Cup, with most of the attention on whether the USA captain will include himself in the lineup for Bethpage.

Though the idea of Keegan Bradley making his own Ryder Cup team has been mooted ever since his shock appointment was announced, few could have imagined just how difficult a call the 39-year-old would face over his own role.

Bradley looked to have secured his ticket by winning the Travelers Championship in June. The reaction to his win among the galleries at TPC River Highlands also told its own story. Bradley would have been forgiven for having the belief that he could run through a brick wall after sinking the winning putt in Connecticut.

But his performances since have left much more of a question mark over his position. Of course, Bradley also has to factor in that he is the one contender for a pick who will have so many other responsibilities that week in New York.

What Kevin Kisner keeps telling Keegan Bradley about playing at the Ryder Cup

Bradley’s performance at the Tour Championship seemed to reignite the calls for the 2011 PGA Championship winner to pick himself.

And speaking on Golf Today, Kevin Kisner suggested that Bradley would probably be a lock to make the team if he did not have to worry about captaincy.

“That would be tough. There is so much that goes into it. The comparisons of Arnold Palmer in 1963 as our last playing captain and now is so drastically different in my opinion,” he said.

“There are so many responsibilities. I think we still haven’t made all the decisions. We still have until Wednesday.

“But I tell Keegan when we are discussing all the time that if he wasn’t the captain I think he would be a pick 100% of the time. We bounce that back and forth all the time when we are going through this.

“We still have quite a few calls to discuss and nail this down before Wednesday but I just find it very difficult to manage both sides of it. Your competitive side and your managerial side, it’s just so difficult.

“But if anybody can handle it I know Keegan Bradley can, he has shown us that in the playoffs. He has done unbelievably, as soon as he has done shooting 63 on Saturday, he is texting us.

“It’s like man how do you keep doing this? Making birdies and handling all of these responsibilities.”

How Keegan Bradley’s year compares with Patrick Cantlay’s season

Performances on the PGA Tour this year will only tell part of the story. So many players have found another gear in the Ryder Cup that they may not have even realised they had.

One player who is also hoping to receive a pick from Bradley is Patrick Cantlay. Cantlay’s performances in the last two team events, as well as a runner-up finish at the Tour Championship, will work in his favour. But he has certainly not had a standout year by any means.

And when you put their records side by side, Bradley has the slight edge.

That certainly backs up Kisner’s point that Bradley would deserve a spot if he was simply a player. The big problem is that Europe have never faced a playing captain in the Ryder Cup.

So while Bradley will probably leave absolutely no stone unturned in the build-up to the event, it is only going to be once the Ryder Cup gets going that he really finds out just whether he can perform both roles.

By that stage, it will be too late for any drastic changes to be made.