Keegan Bradley was sizing up the Ryder Cup scene, thinking not just about his own chances of being a playing captain, but also about who else would lock in a spot on the team. The top 6 in the rankings are auto-in, no problem. But what about the rest? On Monday, Bradley shared that phone calls would be “awful” because “There is probably going to be a few guys that think they are going to be on the team that aren’t going to be.“ But not everyone’s on board with that idea.

And they have plenty of reasons not to. Look at Ben Griffin. He’s got 2 wins, 10 top-10 finishes this season, and he’s sitting ninth in the standings. Or take Cameron Young. In the last three weeks alone, he snagged his first PGA Tour victory at the Wyndham Championship, finished fifth in the FedEx St. Jude Championship, 11th in the BMW Championship, and T4 at East Lake.

If those numbers don’t scream “they should be in,” what else would? PGA Tour pro Michael S. Kim says if such stats don’t convince Bradley, then he would be upset on behalf of his Tour rival, Griffin: “I truly would be shocked to see Ben off the team.”

Even Griffin himself knows his chances are pretty great, even if Bradley’s statements threaten his confidence. Last week at East Lake, the pro said, “It’s tough being a bubble guy and being outside that top six, but I played really solid this year. Hopefully Keegan sees that and wants me to represent the United States.” Not only Kim and Griffin, but everyone would hope so. 

For the sake of a better argument in their case, No Laying Up shared a post, sharing a different kind of stat: Griffin and Young have been the 3rd and 4th best Americans over the last three months. Digging into their 50-round strokes gained moving averages: Griffin’s killing it at +1.89, Young’s at +1.84, versus Sam Burns at +1.45 and Bradley at +1.34.

The pressure’s on Keegan Bradley, aka Captain America, to make his six captain’s picks for the 2025 Ryder Cup. He is going to reveal those picks on Wednesday, August 27th. And the weight of this decision is heavy on his shoulders, especially looking back at history. Why? The U.S. Team’s past mistakes have set the bar high – or maybe low, depending on how you look at it.

Two years ago in Rome, the team took a tough loss, and then-captain Zach Johnson got slammed for his captain’s picks. Critics said he played favorites with Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler over solid performer Keegan Bradley.

And if Bradley decides to pass on guys like Griffin, he’s going to be facing similar heat from certain PGA Tour members for sure. On the flip side, even with that pushback threat hanging over him, Bradley’s staying firm that he’s doing whatever’s best “for the betterment of the team.”

Keegan Bradley and his thoughts on the various Ryder Cup decisions

Keegan Bradley is facing one of the toughest decisions of his life as the US Ryder Cup captain. He’s weighing whether to name himself to the team, which would make him the first US playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963. The stakes are high, and Bradley wants to make sure he’s putting the team in the best position to win at Bethpage Black next month.

Six players have already locked in their spots on Team USA, including top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, and Bryson DeChambeau. Nevertheless, Keegan Bradley’s got a lot on his plate as the US Ryder Cup captain. After all, he’s also laser-focused on assembling the best possible team of Americans.

“It’s difficult because I want to put the team in the best position to win the Ryder Cup,” Bradley said recently and added, “I’m confident whichever decision I make, it’s for the betterment of the team, and we’ll see.” So, even his thoughts on being a playing captain will affect Ben Griffin’s chances in the team.

On the other hand, Bradley’s doing everything to boost Team USA’s chances and crank up the excitement for the 2025 Ryder Cup. The official Ryder Cup account confirms Bradley has chosen a format for the first two days. Friday and Saturday start with foursomes in the morning, flip to four-ball in the afternoon, and singles matches close out Sunday.

With Team USA hosting at Bethpage Black, Bradley called the shots on this format. And in foursomes – where Americans start with alternate shot – they’ve historically crushed it with a 12-4 record. So, a pretty bold choice on Bradley’s side. But the point behind such drastic steps? Well, to win the game!