Keegan Bradley will have some big decisions to make in around five or six weeks’ time, ahead of the Ryder Cup.
Bradley‘s biggest call will be whether or not to name himself as a player on the US Ryder Cup team.
In fact, Bradley is being urged to pick himself for the Ryder Cup team from pretty much everyone involved with the game.
He has enjoyed such a stellar year that not playing on the team would seem like somewhat of a waste.
The 39-year-old is also expected to be one of the best captains the United States have ever had.
Ben Griffin recently claimed that Bradley is trying to change the mentality of the American Ryder Cup team, so that the players are a more tightly-knit unit.
However, the man from Vermont’s captaincy will be judged by his captain’s picks and how they perform at Bethpage Black.
One man in particular has now jumped right to the front and centre of Bradley’s mind it seems.
Chris Gotterup is right in Keegan Bradley’s thinking ahead of the Ryder Cup
Over the past few weeks, Chris Gotterup has really announced himself on the world stage as one of the very best American players in the world right now.
He followed up his win at the Scottish Open with a third-place finish at The Open Championship, and now he has made it hard for Bradley to ignore him really.
It seems like golf fans and some members of the media think that the man from New Jersey could now be a dead-cert to play at the Ryder Cup.
Gary Williams talked up Gotterup’s Ryder Cup hopes on the 5 Clubs Podcast.
He said: “Chris Gotterup, about a month ago, nobody was saying much about him but what Chris Gotterup was doing on the PGA Tour was pretty darn good, it was productive. It was not him just jumping up and winning the Scottish Open.
“It was the fact that since April 20th, the guy has missed one cut. He has been accruing a number of top-25s. That’s not going to get you a lot of attention, naturally. Playing with Rory on a Sunday in Scotland and winning and then the following week, after not being in the Open Championship field and then suddenly you’re in it and you don’t just show up, you finish third alone. Now you’ve launched yourself to this really lofty space.
“23rd in the FedEx Cup standings, so that his chances of getting all the way to East Lake, and what that can mean for him. Getting there is a big, big deal. This week, he finished tied for 10th.
“He moved up marginally in the Ryder Cup standings from 23rd to 20th. But I don’t think that’s representative of where he is in the mind of Keegan Bradley and Keegan Bradley’s staff, ah ah. Chris Gotterup is front and centre.
“Here’s the reason why Gotterup’s campaign has so much momentum. Stylistically, Gotterup makes perfect sense for Bethpage. The guy makes a bushel full of birdies and he’s got the requisite power in his toolkit to overpower holes.
“By the way, this is not just some three-week run he is on. Throughout the season, Gotterup is fourth in scoring average and sixth in final round scoring average. There’s weightiness to that when it comes to Keegan Bradley.“
Williams is right there. Aside from Scottie Scheffler, there isn’t a more in-form American in professional golf right now than Gotterup.
Chris Gotterup’s 2025 PGA Tour stats
The 26-year-old missed plenty of cuts at the start of the season, but since April, his form has hit a new level entirely.
Here is how his stats look in 2025 so far:
| Stats | Gotterup’s totals |
| Strokes gained off the tee | 7th |
| Strokes gained approach | 96th |
| Strokes gained around the green | 61st |
| Strokes gained putting | 88th |
| Strokes gained total | 28th |
| Scoring average | 4th |
Gotterup currently sits in 20th position in the US Ryder Cup points list.
The golf he has been playing has been of such high quality that it would be crazy to leave him off the team in September.
It might not be set in stone, but Gotterup will undoubtedly be on the American team at the Ryder Cup later this year.
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