US captain Keegan Bradley says he could have a “laborious look” at whether or not he ought to play in September’s Ryder Cup after his dramatic one-shot victory within the Vacationers Championship on Sunday.
Bradley, 39, birdied the final gap of his ultimate spherical in Connecticut to disclaim England’s Tommy Fleetwood his first PGA Tour title.
Victory moved him seventh on the planet rankings and ninth within the American Ryder Cup qualification standings. The highest six within the latter qualify robotically for the occasion in Bethpage, New York, with one other six gamers given captain’s picks.
Arnold Palmer was the Ryder Cup’s final taking part in captain, when he led the US crew aged 34 in 1963.
“It is nonetheless June so we now have bought a protracted technique to go [but] this positively adjustments issues just a little bit,” mentioned Bradley – the youngest captain since Palmer.
“This positively opens the door to play. I do not know if I’ll do it or not however I actually need to take a fairly laborious take a look at what’s finest for the crew.
“Yearly I used to be out right here, I wished to play on the Ryder Cup crew, after which this might be the primary 12 months the place possibly I did not wish to. I simply wished to be the captain and, in fact, that is what occurs.”
Bradley’s most up-to-date Ryder Cup look was within the defeat at Gleneagles in 2014, having additionally performed on the dropping aspect two years earlier.
He missed out on a spot in 2023 when Justin Thomas, who was beneath him on the factors checklist and struggling for kind, was most well-liked by captain Zach Johnson
Bradley was named captain this time after Tiger Woods turned down the chance.
He insisted he wouldn’t surrender the captaincy if he did make the crew however might tackle a twin position with the assistance of vice-captains Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker, Kevin Kisner and Jim Furyk.
“I by no means actually deliberate on taking part in,” he mentioned. “Now, with the wonderful vice-captains I’ve, I really feel much more snug if I went that route.
“I had this epiphany on the PGA Championship once I was getting these loud ‘USA’ cheers.
“I do not suppose any participant within the historical past of the sport has skilled what I am experiencing in that I am a Ryder Cup captain, in my eyes nonetheless among the best gamers on the planet attempting to win majors and tournaments, coming down the stretch of a match.”
Bradley mentioned when he was requested to be captain, the very first thing the PGA of America informed him was they wished him to be the primary taking part in captain since Palmer.
“My head was spinning,” he mentioned. “I did not know what they have been speaking about, however they knew that was a chance and that we might have issues in place for that.
“A 12 months in the past I do not know if I’d have thought I’d be seventh on the planet however I actually thought I’d be contending in tournaments.”
