Maverick McNealy reacts on Instagram after being left off America’s Ryder Cup team by Keegan Bradley

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Maverick McNealy can consider himself extremely unlucky not to have been selected by Keegan Bradley for the US Ryder Cup team.

McNealy finished in 10th position on the US Ryder Cup points list after a stellar season on the PGA Tour.

However, Bradley chose not to include the 29-year-old on his team for the showdown with Team Europe at Bethpage Black.

Before Bradley made his picks, McNealy said he would support the US Ryder Cup team all the way if he missed out on selection.

However, he will surely be bitterly disappointed that he didn’t quite do enough to make Bradley’s team.

It could be argued that McNealy would have been a far better fit for Bethpage than Collin Morikawa is, what with his powerful driving and exceptional putting.

McNealy averaged 306.6 yards off the tee on the PGA Tour this season and he ranked 21st in strokes gained putting.

However, he’ll be watching the Ryder Cup from the sidelines next month.

Maverick McNealy reacts after being left off America’s Ryder Cup team

Despite McNealy’s obvious disappointment at missing out on the Ryder Cup team, his message on Instagram oozed class.

He said: “Well, the disappointment of this past week is not how I envisioned feeling after the best season of my PGA Tour career.

“Playing with Justin Thomas on Sunday at Genesis, coming so close to winning, shooting up the rankings, and breaking the ceiling of what I thought I was capable of brought the Ryder Cup dream into full focus.

“That round kickstarted my season and got me into the signature events and all 4 majors, where I regularly competed against the best players in the world. Meanwhile, I was elected to join the Tour Policy Board starting in January, and also learned the biggest life change of all was coming—becoming a dad in November!

“I had five top-5s, played 12 rounds of major championship golf, and broke into the top 10 in the world for the first time in my career. My ball-striking continued its upward trajectory and the putter showed signs of its magic. I didn’t feel like a rookie anymore, and I have a better handle on my entire game than ever before.

“But to come so close to, and fall just short of, making the Ryder Cup team…hurts. I wanted so badly to be in that team room, wear the red, white, and blue, and—more than anything—make that putt to win points for the USA. That said, Captain Keegan Bradley is bringing a stacked squad to Bethpage, and I am grateful to have even been in the conversation. He has handled one of the toughest responsibilities in golf with professionalism and enthusiasm, and I’ll be rooting hard for his team.

“People have told me to be pissed off, channel this into motivation, and go prove everyone wrong…but that’s not really how I work. All of Team Mav poured our hearts and souls into this season. I just wish I had executed a bit better on a couple of occasions. We’re going to continue working every bit as hard toward our 2026 campaign and see where it takes us.

“I’ll play Napa & Utah this fall, mostly because I love competing and want to put these changes to the test. But most importantly, Maya & I are preparing to welcome our daughter into the world in November, and I am so excited to spend some time at home being a husband and a dad.

“Thank you to everyone who has supported, cheered & contributed to my best year ever!“

McNealy now has to use his disappointment to fuel the fire burning inside him. The 29-year-old is more than good enough to play on a Ryder Cup team and he’ll be desperate to make the side in 2027.

Maverick McNealy’s 2025 PGA Tour results

McNealy came close to winning this season, with a second place finish at the Genesis, a third at the BMW Championship and two T-3s.

Here are his results on the PGA Tour in 2025:

The next step for McNealy will be to win his second PGA Tour event, having not tasted victory since November 2024.

The man from Portola Valley, California, certainly has the game needed to become a consistent winner on the PGA Tour.

The only question is whether he has the mentality needed to reach the next level. If he does, it’s hard to envisage McNealy not being on the US Ryder Cup team at Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027.