Keegan Bradley left East Lake on Sunday night with many things.
Clarity was not among them.
Bradley’s T-7 finish at the Tour Championship, along with nice finishes from several potential U.S. Ryder Cup captain’s picks, means that the American skipper’s job these next couple days – until the six picks are revealed on Wednesday morning – will be unenviable.
“I think no matter what decision that I make here, I could have gone the other way easily, no matter what,” Bradley said. “The only thing I care about is on Sunday of the Ryder Cup, that we win the Ryder Cup. Then I’ll know I made the right decision.”
Bradley said he’d not been communicating with his assistant captains while he competed at East Lake, but he planned to call them Sunday night to begin the 48-hour deliberations.
“Saw a lot of Americans play great today, which makes me happy,” Bradley added.
Albeit Bradley’s decisions tougher.
There are arguably eight players still with legitimate shots at earning one of Bradley’s six picks; Bradley is one of them. Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay, the latter of whom tied for second at East Lake, are perceived locks, especially considering the two have combined to go 12-6-3 in Ryder Cups.
“Obviously anything can happen, but I feel pretty good about it,” Thomas said after his own T-7 at East Lake.
As for the remaining four picks, here are the quick cases for and against each contender:
Collin Morikawa
Tour Championship finish: T-19
Why he’ll be picked: Was one of the best players in the world through the Masters with two runners-up and nothing worse than T-17, and his inclusion means getting another guy with a winning record (4-3-1) on the team and who has an elite skill (third in strokes gained approach).
Why he won’t be picked: T-19 at 30-man Tour Championship was his first top-20 finish since the Rocket Classic in June, and he just wrapped up his worst putting season since 2020-21. Plus, with Bethpage demanding length, Morikawa is the shortest among this bunch.
What he said Sunday: “I haven’t been playing great, but I think I’m a great asset to that team. Hopefully I get a positive call from Keegan. … Look, at the end of the day, he’s going to do what’s best for the team, and we’re going to see how that plays out. I really hope I’m part of that because the past four years of team events that I’ve been a part of, they’re the best. They sometimes wake you up and snap you back into the type of golfer you need to be.”
Ben Griffin
Tour Championship finish: T-10
Why he’ll be picked: Not only among the few potential picks with a win this season, but he also captured the Zurich alongside partner Andrew Novak. He had two top-10s in majors and his T-10 at East Lake marked his 12th top-15 finish in his last 14 starts.
Why he won’t be picked: Don’t want to leave this section blank, so I’m writing this sentence. Seriously, though, all that’s working against him is he’d be a cup rookie.
What he said Sunday: “It’s going to be an anxious 24 to 48 hours. I wouldn’t say stressful because I feel like I’m too blessed to be stressed. But definitely anxious just to see if I earned a spot on that team or not, or if Keegan believes in me. I know I’ve been able to handle some big moments this season. I know I’ll be comfortable on that stage at Bethpage, and hopefully I can start practicing 48 hours from now and start getting ready for that Ryder Cup.”
Sam Burns
Tour Championship finish: T-7
Why he’ll be picked: Hasn’t missed a cut since prior to the Masters, which means he made all four major cuts. He was a poor Sunday finish away from potentially winning the U.S. Open, where he tied for seventh. He ranks as the Tour’s best putter in terms of strokes gained. And oh, he’s an ideal partner for the world No. 1.
Why he won’t be picked: Among those winless this year, and he was worst among the real contenders for picks in points, at No. 16.
What he said Sunday: “Unfortunately, I didn’t put myself in a position to be an automatic qualifier. I think it takes a lot of stress off certainly this week and last week to be in that position. But you know what, I tried to focus on coming into the playoffs and trying to play some solid golf, and hopefully it’s enough. … 100% trust in Keegan. I know whatever decision he makes is going to be one that he thinks is best for the team. Ultimately, I’m Team USA. If I’m on the team, awesome. I would love nothing more. If I’m not, I’ll be rooting for them.”
Cameron Young
Tour Championship finish: T-4
Why he’ll be picked: If Bradley wants to ride the hot hand, Young owns five top-5s, including a win at Wyndham, in his last eight starts. He’s also 4-0 against Bradley in their last four common events, so he’s at least got the recent leg up over the captain. And like Burns, he’s a top-10 putter on Tour. Not to mention the obvious course fit of Bethpage.
Why he won’t be picked: Didn’t turn it on until halfway through the summer, and for as great as he’s been recently, he’s 4-8 against Burns over their last 12 common events. Also fits a similar player profile as Burns, so it could be one or the other.
What he said Sunday: “I have no idea when I will get that call, and I have no idea what it will say. I mean, mainly, like you said, just waiting around for that. … I really, really want to make that team. If that call goes the wrong way in my opinion, it’s going to be a bit of a hard one to take. I feel like I’ve done everything you could ask of me to make that team over the last four weeks, and then if you look back further, really half a season.”
Keegan Bradley
Tour Championship finish: T-7
Why he’ll be picked: It seems like he’s had great support to be the first playing captain in over 60 years since winning the Travelers in late June. Contending at East Lake through 54 holes only reignited those flames. He also finished the BMW as No. 11 in U.S. Ryder Cup points, ahead of Young and Burns.
Why he won’t be picked: Didn’t have a top-25 finish post-Travelers until his T-17 at the 50-man BMW and T-7 at the 30-man Tour Championship. That explains why he doesn’t crack the top 12 Americans in Data Golf’s ranking or trend table. Also, we mentioned Young’s recency advantage of him. Burns might be 3-4-2 against the captain in their last nine, but he’s 8-7-2 versus Bradley this year.
What he said Sunday: “I’ve gone through a lot of stuff this year, I didn’t know how I was going to handle it. Proud of the way I did. This is a whole ‘nother animal. I have no clue. This is going to be really difficult.”
Maverick McNealy
Tour Championship finish: T-23
Why he’ll be picked: Over his last 25 common tournaments, he has better head-to-head records against Thomas, Cantlay, Bradley, Burns and Young. He also finished 10th in points, so it’s not like he wasn’t among the best 12 Americans during the qualification period.
Why he won’t be picked: No wins this year, and though he made the cut in all four majors, he didn’t post a top-20 finish at any of them. Also needed to finish better at East Lake following a solo third at BMW.
What he said Sunday: “I promise you I gave it everything I had this year, and if I get a call that I’m on that team, I’ll do everything I can to be ready on that first tee. It’s out of my hands. I think there’s a lot of players playing well on the U.S. side, so that’s great news. … Nobody wants to win the Ryder Cup more than Keegan Bradley. I know he’s going to make the decision that’s best for the team.”
