With both Ryder Cup teams really starting to take shape, it is looking increasingly likely that Keegan Bradley will indeed become the first person since Arnold Palmer in 1963 to be a playing captain.
The PGA of America have had plenty of time to prepare for the idea that Keegan Bradley may earn a place on his own team at the Ryder Cup.
Bradley is currently outside the automatic qualification spots for Bethpage. However, his win at the Travelers Championship makes it difficult to imagine the 39-year-old not teeing it up against the Europeans in New York.
Obviously, that will come with a number of issues.
Trevor Immelman assesses whether Keegan Bradley will be able to be a playing captain at the Ryder Cup
There is a reason that there has never been a playing captain in the Ryder Cup since it became USA against Europe. The event is one of the biggest across all sport, and the role of captain is so demanding.
Trevor Immelman knows what it is like to captain a team in one of these events, having led the International team at the 2022 Presidents Cup.
And speaking on Fried Egg Golf, the South African admitted that Bradley has got a monumental task on his hands if he decides to perform both roles in September.
“The American team, as great as what they are – they kicked our butts every time we play against them at the Presidents Cup, so I have a ton of respect for them and what they can do – as great as what they are, they’ve got some issues at this point, trying to put this team together. Because they have a number of players knocking on the door, rookies and stalwarts, but then they’ve got a captain that is not sure if he’s playing or not playing,” he said.
“And in my opinion, he is for sure one of the top eight American golfers in the world and he should be playing. But I just know from my experience captaining one of those teams in the Presidents Cup, golly, it would be so hard to be captain, all of those responsibilities, and then play at the same time. So they have an interesting next couple of months ahead and a lot of decisions to make as to how they’re going to put their squad of 12 together.”
Chris Gotterup backed for a potential captain’s pick for Bethpage
One of the names who is staking a late claim to be included in Bradley’s team in September is Chris Gotterup.
Gotterup was in pretty poor form at the start of the year as he missed eight cuts before the first major of the year. However, something has clicked in recent months for the 26-year-old.
He has only missed one more cut since, and won the Genesis Scottish Open. He followed that with a third-place finish at The Open Championship this past week.
And Immelman suggested that he has given himself a fantastic chance of being on the team in a couple of months.
“He has been a great player at every level that he’s played at, and he got that win on the PGA Tour. It was an opposite event last year at Myrtle Beach, that’s fine, but still he gets the win on tour, which is a huge stepping stone,” he said.
“And in the last two and a half months, his results have been really solid and he’s been showing signs of really that he’s found a little something. And the last two weeks, he’s just blown through that gate and played brilliant golf, you can’t deny it. He took down McIlroy and an extremely strong field in Scotland, and he backed it up. It would have been easy for him to go to The Open and be like, ‘okay, I’ve just got this huge win, I’m going to have a few extra Guinness every night and enjoy this week’. I believe it was his first Open, but he kept things rolling. And he was a part of the story through Sunday.
“At that age, you look at the gifts that he has, he’s an incredible driver of the ball with immense power, and in the last few months, he’s started to really putt well. Around Bethpage Black, seems like a pretty decent fit to me.”
When you look at how some of the American players are currently playing, you have to say that Gotterup has given himself a real chance.
Imagine saying that after he missed his eighth cut of the year at the Valero Texas Open.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
