The most-awaited team announcement of the Ryder Cup commenced with a news conference for the US team. Apart from the decision of picking the 6 players, the golf world was intrigued to see if Keegan Bradley would be the playing captain or not. For that role, Rory McIlroy has already shared how difficult it is, and he personally would not want to take that job as a player. But interestingly, Bradley had a harsh take on the statement of the Northern Irishman.

He announced the team with six picks, but surprisingly, the 39-year-old chose the non-playing captain role. Bradley had substantial form this season as he won the Travelers Championship and was even in the top spots multiple times. But despite that, he chose what was best for the team and not what McIlroy hinted at earlier with his statements.

“There’s a lot of different things that go into it, and that’s why I think. Look, it’s just my opinion, but I think it would just be very difficult to do,” McIlroy shared. Then, Bradley was asked by the reporter if he wished to prove McIlroy wrong with the decision. And he shared a shocking take that caught the attention of the golf community.

Speaking about that during the conference, Bradley mentioned, “Not worried about what they do or say. I care about our team. Not quite sure how he would know if it is quite possible, as no one has ever done it, really.” Arnold Palmer was the last playing captain in the 1963 Ryder Cup, as the captains did not have to pick themselves. But now with the option to consider the choice, Bradley even pointed out that he would have talked to Palmer if the option was there.

Even for the US team captain, McIlroy’s take is just an assumption that the competitor team members can make. And Bradley further added, “They can make comments on what I can and cannot do, no one would’ve known.” He continued to share how he devoted time to the process, and then concluded by doing what is in favor of the team.

Bradley backed his decision with “I don’t care if I play, don’t play – as long as we win on Sunday. That’s the only thing I care about.” And with that said, he has picked six names, including two rookies and four experienced players, for the 2025 season.

Keegan Bradley’s picks for the Ryder Cup team

With six players already qualified, including Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English, and Bryson DeChambeau, the team looks strong. However, the last six picks are all the captain’s choice. And with the pressure and the aim to change the past performance, Bradley has kept himself out of the course and made strong choices for the team.

He picked Justin Thomas, described as the “heartbeat of the team.” Thomas sat just outside the automatic qualification rankings, but he was the first pick for the captain, considering his 2025 form and experience of three Ryder Cup participations. His record at the Ryder Cup stands at 7-4-2, which denotes the dominance.

After Thomas, the captain picked Collin Morikawa, who has a 4-3-1 record with his two prior participations. However, his form in 2025 wasn’t that impressive, but still being the eighth player on the standings, he has shown a glimpse of impressive performance, leading to being chosen for the team.

Further, Bradley picked Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns. The duo is placed 15th and 16th on the standings, but past performance of 5-2-1 and 1-2-0, respectively, might be the reason for the selection ignoring the rookies.

After four experienced professionals, the captain chose two debutants for the 2025 Ryder Cup.

At first, Ben Griffin was the pick, considering his two wins and dominant form on the tour. Notably, in the past few months, he was considered among the best players in form. Well, similar was the story of another rookie, Cameron Young. He has already impressed the golf world with his performance, which includes his first PGA Tour win.

The picks for the team were solely aimed at changing the record. In fact, despite being in 11th place in the standings, Keegan Bradley chose not to play. Was it the right decision to take as a captain? While time will prove it, you can share your thoughts with us in the comments below.