US Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley Declines Playing Role, Names Six Picks

Keegan Bradley, the 39-year-old captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, chose not to include himself as a playing member for the 2025 matches, opting instead to focus solely on his captain duties. Despite a strong season that included a victory at the Travelers Championship and rising to 11th in the world rankings, Bradley decided against following in the footsteps of Arnold Palmer, the last U.S. playing captain in 1963. Bradley's six captain’s picks were Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, and rookies Ben Griffin and Cameron Young, joining six automatic qualifiers to complete the 12-man roster. He described the decision as extremely difficult but ultimately felt it was best for the team, expressing confidence in his selections and relief that the process was over. Bradley also noted that he was motivated by the players' recent strong performances and emphasized his commitment to being the best captain possible. The U.S. team will compete against Europe in the Ryder Cup at Bethpage, with Europe expected to retain most of their previous winning roster.