Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup status remains one of golf’s big talking points and now Rory McIlroy has had his say on what he feels will happen for Team USA.
A year has passed since Bradley was announced as the shock pick for Team USA but as time has gone on, his form has meant it’s more than likely he’s going to be involved as a player instead.
Bradley recently held off Tommy Fleetwood to win The Travelers and that has propelled him into contention.
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Bradley himself has been steadfast in his approach that he can do both roles.
But with many claiming being a playing captain is just too much in the modern era, Rory McIlroy has now had his say on matters.
Rory McIlroy says whether Keegan Bradley can be a Ryder Cup playing captain
Speaking after carding his round of 65 in round two at the Scottish Open, McIlroy was asked about the situation involving Keegan Bradley and the Ryder Cup captaincy.
Right now, Bradley is expected to make the team automatically and according to McIlroy, the US team is a better team with their current skipper being there as a player.
“Hopefully it is impossible,” McIlroy laughed. “Keegan has played great. He’s had a great year. He had the win at the Travelers. Obviously I’m not in those conversations and from an outside perspective, it’s going to be interesting to see what the U.S. Team does with that.
“I definitely think the U.S. Team is better with Keegan playing than not playing. I definitely think he’s one of the best 12 American players right now. It’s going to be an interesting couple months to see how that all shakes out.”
Why Rory McIlroy feels Team Europe did better than Team USA at the last Ryder Cup
The last Ryder Cup for Team USA was an absolute disaster as Zach Johnson’s leadership was called into question and ultimately, his team failed him.
Europe won handsomely in Rome and Rory McIlroy was a key component for Luke Donald and his team that week.
And following up further on the Bradley conundrum and his own experiences, McIlroy believes the Europeans have managed things better in recent years when it comes to leadership.
“Yeah, I think they give the captaincy — it’s a different perspective, absolutely. It really feels like it’s a player-led team in America, and obviously we have our input as player on The European Team but we do have that one figurehead in Luke. I think that’s important,” McIlroy continued.
“I think even going back to Rome, when the Americans got off to a pretty rough start, I think because Zach gave the team so much ownership, they had no one to look to. They were looking at each other instead of having a focal point, tell us what to do.
“That is something that Europe has done very, very well. But also the players have allowed the captain to be a captain as well.”
With the Ryder Cup literally just months away, the USA have a big decision to make and it needs making quickly.
If they leave it late, and simply get someone to step into the role, it could spell disaster once more for the home side at Bethpage Black.
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