While most golf fans knew the pool of players Keegan Bradley would be picking from as he completed his Ryder Cup team ahead of Bethpage, it is fair to say that there were one or two surprises among the players he opted for.
Of course, the big news concerned Keegan Bradley‘s decision to leave himself off the team for the Ryder Cup. Bradley’s selflessness has been praised, with the 39-year-old doing enough this year to make the lineup as a player.
Ultimately, Bradley opted to pick Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns as USA look to regain the trophy next month.
While Thomas was always expected to make the team, there seemed to be plenty of debate over the rest of the side among fans and pundits – with Cantlay one of those who continues to divide opinion.
Keegan Bradley defended over decision to pick Patrick Cantlay for the Ryder Cup
Cantlay made Bradley’s decision easier by finishing tied for second at the Tour Championship. And he has previously been an impressive performer in the team competitions.
However, Cantlay’s display at East Lake was something of an anomaly this year. The 33-year-old was rarely in contention on the PGA Tour and missed the cut at three of the four majors.
Some fans were not best pleased to see Cantlay receive a pick. But speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Ryan Lavner insisted that Bradley made exactly the right decision in including Cantlay on his team.
“Patrick Cantlay has been one of the best players statistically among the Americans, certainly among the top 20 in the world. His team matchplay record is 15-6-1. And I know he took a long time at the Tour Championship. I know he was shuffling his feet. I know he drew the sarcastic ire of Phil Mickelson on X for his antics and how he was potentially slowing down Tommy Fleetwood as they were competing for the FedEx Cup. But again, Patrick Cantlay has gone 15-6-1 in the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup,” he said.
“He has never lost in Sunday singles. He was a lightning rod for that American side. He and Max Homa were basically the only two players who performed admirably in Rome in the 2023 Ryder Cup in what became a losing effort for the Americans. As much as you might not like the pick right now, as much as Patrick Cantlay’s personality may grate on you, I promise you if you are an American golf fan, you will be cheering for the fact if Patrick Cantlay starts winning points at Bethpage Black.
“He’s one of the best players in the world, he has a great record, just stop it. If you are a US golf fan, you want Patrick Cantlay on that team.”
Patrick Cantlay’s hugely impressive record across the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup
Some fans may be reluctant to read too much into Cantlay’s Presidents Cup record. That event has been dominated by the US over the years.
But picking up 5.5 points from eight Ryder Cup matches is extremely impressive. And Lavner is right when he says that his performance on Saturday evening sparked Zach Johnson‘s men into a bit of life at Marco Simone.
| Event | Points won | Overall record |
| 2019 Presidents Cup | 3 | 3-2-0 |
| 2021 Ryder Cup | 3.5 | 3-0-1 |
| 2022 Presidents Cup | 3 | 3-1-0 |
| 2023 Ryder Cup | 2 | 2-2-0 |
| 2024 Presidents Cup | 4 | 4-1-0 |
| Total | 15.5 | 15-6-1 |
One thing you can guarantee is that the Europeans will particularly hate the idea of losing to Cantlay in New York next month.
It would be little surprise if he goes on to make another decent contribution to the US’s tally as they look to reach 14.5 points.
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