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The Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black is just over two months away. After a dismal defeat in Rome two years ago, Team USA changed its strategy with its captain selection. Keegan Bradley was picked as the captain before charging up the standings and making noise as a potential captain's pick. There has not been a playing captain since the 1960s, and certain rules would make that role harder. But Keegan Bradley could become a playing captain at the Ryder Cup thanks to Team Europe captain Luke Donald. James Corrigan of Telegraph Sport has more on the revised agreement.
“Yet Telegraph Sport has discovered that Bradley, 39, went to Donald to ask him to insert a clause into the ‘rarely-changed' agreement that will allow him to designate one vice-captain who can act as the de facto captain if and when Bradley is playing in a particular session.”
Corrigan cited an anonymous source saying that Bradley brought the clause to Donald, and he approved. The source said that Europe does not want any bad blood between the teams. Bradley put together a similar season in 2023, but was not selected by Zach Johnson. After Netflix cameras caught the emotional moment he found out, and Bradley performed well at the Presidents' Cup, the playing-captain chants became louder.
Bradley has named Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner, Gary Woodland, Webb Simpson, and Brandt Snedeker as assistant captains. This agreement would allow one of those players, as chosen by Bradley, to act as the captain only while Bradley is playing. Furyk is the only past captain among that group, leading a dreadful 2018 campaign.
Bradley said at The Open Championship that he had not signed the captain's agreement. Many speculated a clause like this was the reason why. Another win in August could put Bradley in the top six, guaranteeing him a spot on the team. Could he pick himself, despite saying in the past he would not?
