There have been huge calls for Keegan Bradley to step down as Ryder Cup captain, so that he can focus entirely on playing.
Jim Furyk is one the four vice-captains, and his name has been mooted as one of the most likely replacements for Bradley, if the man from Vermont does decide to relinquish his captaincy duties.
The 39-year-old’s win at the Travelers Championship on Sunday catapulted him inside the top 10 of the U.S. Ryder Cup points list.
Top American players will want Bradley to play on the Ryder Cup team, after his superbly consistent run of form throughout 2025.
If he does play, many are calling for him to hand over the captaincy duties, with Furyk leading the charge to fill in for him.
PGA of America do not want Jim Furyk to replace Keegan Bradley as Ryder Cup captain
Firstly, it’s worth noting that Bradley has no intention of stepping down as Ryder Cup captain.
However, if he does automatically qualify for his own team, or if he names himself as a captain’s pick, the PGA of America may well step in and advise him to hand over his role as captain.
The Americans must have noticed that the Europeans are begging for Bradley to act as a playing captain!
However, if Bradley does step down from his role, it has been suggested that Furyk will NOT be the man to fill his shoes.
Dan Rapaport explained exactly why when speaking on The Dan on Golf Podcast.
“I was thinking, if he does play, he might still be the captain but he would have to designate someone to make the decisions when he is out on the golf course. What about Kisner? Because, he’s mentioned Furyk when he talks about his assistant captains but Furyk was the exact captain that the PGA of America was trying to get away from. One of these old-time guys who isn’t the same generation as the guys on the team.
“I feel like Kisner, yes he’s stepped into this broadcasting chapter but he’s 41, and it wasn’t very long ago that he was playing in all these events with all these guys. He’s got that same fire and charisma, kind of a sweet spot. I feel like he would be a damn good replacement and still fulfil the characteristics of the captain that the PGA of America was trying to get.”
Kevin Kisner would undoubtedly be a popular choice amongst the players and the fans, if he is selected to replace Bradley for the showdown at Bethpage Black.
What was the epiphany Bradley had about the Ryder Cup captaincy?
Back in May, the 39-year-old realised something very important.
When speaking after his win at the Travelers, Bradley suggested that he had an epiphany back in May while playing at the PGA Championship.
He said: “I had this epiphany at the PGA Championship when I was getting these loud USA cheers that I don’t think any player in the history of the game has experienced what I’m experiencing in that I’m a Ryder Cup captain, in my eyes still one of the best players in the world trying to win majors and tournaments, and not a lot of people have experienced coming down the stretch of a tournament as the Ryder Cup captain, of big tournaments, and I’ve tried to embrace that and tried to feed off the energy, but they were really loud this week.“
All the signs are that Bradley will remain in his role as captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
If he does decide to step aside though, it remains very much up in the air regarding who could replace him.
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