The Ryder Cup begins on September 27 at Bethpage Black, and the American team is set. Team USA Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley announced six captain's picks on Wednesday, finalizing his team. The year-long process was defined by one question: Will Keegan pick himself? On Wednesday, he did not select himself, instead opting for Cam Young and Sam Burns. At the press conference, the Ryder Cup captain spoke about the decision.
"This was a really tough decision. There was a point this year where I was playing."
Keegan Bradley discusses his decision to not be a playing-captain in the 2025 Ryder Cup 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/WyE6TCUpNB
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) August 27, 2025
“The decision was made a while ago that I wasn't playing,” Bradley said. “The last 48 hours, we had the team set. We weren't scrambling at all. This was a really tough decision. I would say there was a point this year I was playing, a while ago. And all of these guys stepped up in a major way and played their way onto this team. And that's something that I'm really proud of, and something that I really wanted. But it was an extremely difficult decision, but one that I'm really happy with. I'm really happy with these six players, and I'm glad it's over.”
There has not been a playing captain in the Ryder Cup since 1963, when Arnold Palmer held the honors. In the lead-up to the captain's picks, Team Europe superstar Rory McIlroy said he felt it would be impossible to be a playing captain in the modern event. Bradley did not pick himself, which continues a long drought for him without playing in the event.
Bradley was on two losing USA teams, in 2014 at Gleneagles and 2012 at Medinah. He was on the 2024 Presidents' Cup team that won in Montreal, but he ended up not picking himself. After winning the Travelers' Championship in June, he was on his own radar. But his lackluster July and August performances were not enough to clinch him a spot on the team.
