The American Ryder Cup team’s leader, Keegan Bradley, formally announced Wednesday that he will not take on two roles for the 2025 iteration of the competition, which happens every other year and is scheduled for Sept. 26-28 at Bethpage Black. He chose not to include his own name and put himself on the list of players — as it was widely anticipated he would, and as many people thought he should. He dispelled the notion of a captain who also plays, making one of the most selfless decisions professional golf has witnessed in some time, considering his well-documented disappointment at being excluded from the Ryder Cup squad in 2023.
Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay, and Sam Burns are the six captain’s picks. Griffin and Young are poised to make their debuts, while four of the six choices have prior Ryder Cup experience. Thomas, Morikawa, Cantlay, and Burns were all members of the American team that suffered defeat in Rome two years prior.
Bradley, at the age of 39, is nearing the end of his chance to compete for the Americans, which makes the decision even more challenging for the man who has yet to unpack his belongings from the 2012 Ryder Cup, which the United States lost in a painful manner.
The top six players in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings are automatically selected for the 12-man team at the conclusion of the BMW Championship, which is the penultimate tournament of the season. The captain chooses the remaining six players. Bradley concluded the season in 11th position in the standings, although he was as high as the single digits at various points during the campaign. With the margins so narrow — the Americans are a -130 favorite, according to FanDuel — every captain’s pick has the potential to shift the course of the competition.
“The decision was reached a while ago that I wouldn’t be playing,” Bradley revealed on Wednesday. “We had the team set in the last 48 hours. We weren’t at all scrambling. It was a really difficult decision. I’d say there was a point this year when I was playing — a while ago. In a big way, all of these guys stepped up and played their way onto this team. I’m extremely proud of that, and it was something I really desired, but it was a very challenging decision, one I’m very happy with and very happy with these six players.
“I’m relieved it’s over.”
Since Arnold Palmer (34) in 1963, Bradley is the youngest U.S. Ryder Cup captain. His selection to the position was based not only on his enthusiasm for the competition but also, at least in part, on the fact that then-captain Zach Johnson passed him over as a player on the 2023 team. It was reported upon his promotion to the 2025 captaincy that the PGA of America was in favor of him serving as a playing captain; Bradley asserted that he would only think about playing if his play throughout the season earned him the opportunity.
“When they phoned me and informed me that I was being named Ryder Cup captain, the first thing they said was, ‘We want you to be the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in [1963],’ and I mean, my head was spinning,” Bradley recounted after winning the Travelers Championship earlier in the year. “… They were aware that it was a possibility and that we would have plans in place for it. I constantly try to be the best that I can be, and I think I’m now playing the finest golf of my career.”
Bradley said on Wednesday that he only gave serious consideration to adding himself to the team as a player following the Travelers. He was focused on serving as captain the entire year, with the sole objective of positioning the Americans to win on the Ryder Cup’s Sunday, stating that “that’s the only result I’m concerned about.”
Bradley elaborated on his choice not to participate, despite the Ryder Cup being the most significant event for him personally.
“I grew up with the desire to participate in Ryder Cups. I wanted to compete alongside these men as I grew up. It broke my heart not to play; it really did; you put in endless effort to make these teams,” he said. “I was ultimately chosen to complete a task. I was chosen to lead this team as captain. To begin this thing, my ultimate objective was to be the greatest captain I could be. This is how I believed I could accomplish it. I was going to do whatever I thought was best for this team if we got to this point and I felt like, ‘You know what, this team is better with me on it.’
“I am 100% confident that this was the best option. These six individuals performed incredibly well down the stretch, which made my choice much simpler.”
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English, and Bryson DeChambeau make up the automatic qualifiers on his roster. Scheffler, Schauffele, English, and DeChambeau were all members of the previous American team to win the 2021 Ryder Cup, while Spaun and Henley will be making their debut in the competition.
2025 U.S. Ryder Cup team
* Captain’s pick
|
Scottie Scheffler (1) |
3 |
2-2-3 |
|
J.J. Spaun (2) |
1 |
— |
|
Xander Schauffele (3) |
3 |
4-4-0 |
|
Russell Henley (4) |
1 |
— |
|
Harris English (5) |
2 |
1-2-0 |
|
Bryson DeChambeau (6) |
3 |
2-3-1 |
|
Justin Thomas* (7) |
4 |
7-4-2 |
|
Collin Morikawa* (8) |
3 |
4-3-1 |
| Ben Griffin* (9) | 1 | — |
|
Cameron Young* (14) |
1 |
— |
|
Patrick Cantlay* (15) |
3 |
5-2-1 |
|
Sam Burns* (16) |
2 |
1-2-0 |
Bradley was not lacking in choices for his picks. Maverick McNealy (No. 10), who finished higher than three captain’s picks in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings, was one of the top 12 players who was not chosen for the team and was passed over. Brian Harman (No. 12) was the final player in that group, with Andrew Novak (No. 13) moving in and out of the final spot during the final few weeks of the season.
Bradley chose experience over playing level, leaving McNealy off the team in favor of Cantlay and Burns. The United States will have four first-time players overall.
Vice captains Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner, Gary Woodland, Webb Simpson, and Brandt Snedeker will help Bradley in his leadership of the squad. Given his experience as captain of the 2018 Ryder Cup and 2024 Presidents Cup teams, Furyk will probably take on the second-most responsibilities to Bradley. It was anticipated that these men would take over some of Bradley’s duties if he competed, following an amendment to the captain’s agreement this year that allowed vice captains to provide counsel to players. Sadly, that is no longer required.
Ryder Cups held in U.S. since 1995
|
1995 |
Oak Hill |
13.5 |
14.5 |
|
1999 |
Brookline |
14.5 |
13.5 |
|
2004 |
Oakland Hills |
9.5 |
18.5 |
|
2008 |
Valhalla |
16.5 |
11.5 |
|
2012 |
Medinah |
13.5 |
14.5 |
|
2016 |
Hazeltine |
17 |
11 |
| 2021 | Whistling Straits | 19 | 9 |
The United States has dropped 10 of the previous 14 Ryder Cups to Europe, with all four of its victories occurring on American soil. In recent iterations of the event, having a home-course advantage has been extremely important, with the most recent road victory occurring in 2012. The “Miracle at Medinah” was the name given to that Ryder Cup after Europe overcame a 10-to-6 deficit in Sunday singles to stun the United States.
