Paul McGinley gives his view on Keegan Bradley’s press conference before the Ryder Cup starts, ‘I must say’

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Keegan Bradley’s captaincy of the United States Ryder Cup team has created far more controversy than he would have imagined.

After missing out on the 2023 Ryder Cup, the PGA of America must have assumed that Bradley would not get another chance to play.

However, the 39-year-old played himself into consideration with his victory at the Travelers Championship in June.

This sparked a debate over whether he would hand over the captaincy, perform both roles, or relinquish his dream of playing the Ryder Cup.

Bradley ultimately chose the latter option as he did not name himself in his team announcement press conference a few weeks ago.

• READ MORE: Keegan Bradley told what he needs to do with Ben Griffin straight away at the Ryder Cup after the Procore Championship

Paul McGinley already impressed by Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup captaincy

Paul McGinley told golf writer Ryan Lavner that he has been impressed with Keegan Bradley’s handling of the Ryder Cup captaincy.

McGinley commended Bradley for leaving himself off the United States team and expects him to be a “very good” captain at Bethpage Black.

“In terms of Keegan, he’s coming with a very, very strong team,” the Irishman explained. “He’s got a huge support behind him.

“He’s in the heartland of America in New York. We know the crowd are going to be incredibly supportive, and it’s a golf course that he can tailor to suit his team. So, he’s got a lot of things going for him.

“He’s a nice guy. I like Keegan, I must say. And I think his press conference announcing the picks was very impressive, and again, I think he’ll be a very, very good captain.

“I know he’s incredibly patriotic. He’s incredibly proud to be an American. And I think that’s going to be a big calling card for him to play on that patriotism to get the crowd where he needs them to be. So we’re aware of that, and I guess, like every rookie captain, you don’t really know until the captaincy is over.

“But you know certainly the indications that we’ve seen so far and the bravery of how he handled that conundrum about whether he was going to be a playing captain or not, and ultimately sacrificing himself for the team.

“How many more realistic chances is he going to have to play? To be able to put the team ahead of him so far. That was impressive. And how he eloquently said it in front of the media, too. So, I’m looking forward to seeing how both captains go.”

Paul McGinley thought Keegan Bradley could have played at the Ryder Cup

An interesting talking point ahead of Keegan Bradley’s press conference was whether he could be a playing captain at Bethpage Black.

Although it has not been done since Arnold Palmer in 1963, McGinley actually believes that Bradley could have played with the right planning.

“I’m not going to dismiss it, absolutely not,“ McGinley said. “If you’re really well organized, I think it is possible.

“To be honest, most of the work I did when I was captain was before the matches. Then what you’re doing is monitoring your plan as the week unfolds. So, if you have a really, really good plan in place, I think it is possible.”