Ryder Cup: Justin Rose 'surprised' by Keegan Bradley decision

Justin Rose has expressed his surprise over Keegan Bradley's decision to leave himself out of his US Ryder Cup team to face Europe at Bethpage this month.

The European stalwart believes Bradley's excellent form this year would have been enough to earn him a place in the side had he not been captain.

Bradley admitted it was a "heart-breaking' decision to not give himself a captain's pick for the contest, and Rose has hinted that he feels the decision should have been confirmed before he announced his six wildcards last week.

But the 45-year-old, who will be making his seventh Ryder Cup appearance for Europe after finishing fourth in the qualifying standings, also gave credit to Bradley for "backing his leadership skills".

Speaking to Sky Sports, Rose said: "They've got such strength and depth that there's going to be contenders that missed out, including obviously Keegan himself.

"I mean, he deserved to play in terms of his form. I was just surprised he left it as late as he did to make that decision. But fair play to him for backing his leadership skills and backing the 12 players he's put in place."

Rose admits that Luke Donald's team will have their temperaments tested to the limit by the vociferous fans in New York, a key element that has already been discussed among the players.

"We've been talking about it for a long time, and that's the unknown," Rose added. "But I think the team's ready from a form point of view.

"The crowd is something that's hard to prepare for, but I think we need to have the mindset of being ready for anything. And obviously enjoy the experience as best we can."

Rose, who has been widely tipped to succeed Donald as Europe's captain for the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor, feels that Donald will have plenty to be positive about when he finalises his line-up with his six captain's picks.

"That's the tough part about being a captain, invariably you're going to have to let a couple of guys down," Rose said. "That is probably the only sad part. The rest is probably very fulfilling

"Luke's hardest decisions are coming on Monday, but I think he has a lot to be positive about. The team has formed itself really nicely for the most part, and the final bits of detail are obviously down to the captain and his backroom staff to figure out the best blend."