Smith on Keegan Bradley's messy Ryder Cup situation: "Surely he's not that daft"

When Keegan Bradley was named as the Team USA captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup matches, it always seemed a bit of a stretch that the golfer would be in the equation for a playing role.

That is no disrespect to Bradley, but more a testament to the existing firepower and the young guns the U.S. currently has at its disposal.

When Bradley's appointment was made official, it seemed more than likely that Team USA would unleash Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Max Homa, Wyndham Clark, and Sam Burns at Bethpage Black.

How could there have been room for Bradley? Especially with young talent coming through and the inevitable scenario where a little-known name pulls a rabbit out of a hat, lands an incredible major championship victory out of nowhere, and makes the team? Hello, JJ Spaun.

But several players' games have fallen off a cliff since they were comfortably beaten in Italy two years ago, and Bradley has thrown himself into the picture thanks to a strong body of work this season that included an electric victory over bridesmaid Tommy Fleetwood at the Travelers Championship.

He is unquestionably one of the top 12 U.S. golfers on the planet right now but, in my opinion, is currently in a messy situation that is only going to get worse.

Bradley is currently 10th in the overall U.S. Ryder Cup standings. Too high not to be considered but low enough to be called out if he gambles and picks himself. 

The top six will qualify at the conclusion of the BMW Championship, then he will name his six wildcards after the Tour Championship.

Should Bradley not improve upon his standing and pick himself ahead of, say, Spieth, Cantlay, Cameron Young, or even Ben Griffin, he will head to Bethpage constantly facing questions about hypocrisy.

Bradley always said he was desperate to play in another Ryder Cup but insisted he would never be involved as a player unless he qualified for the team on merit.

All that changed after his win at the aforementioned Travelers.

There is every chance Bradley picks up another win over the next three weeks and slams the door shut on his critics, but surely he will not put himself in a position where he picks himself when there is a clear case both for and against his inclusion.

Surely he is not that daft.

It will never happen, but if I were Bradley, I would strongly consider giving up the role entirely and letting Jim Furyk take over to avoid the inevitable barrage of questions at Bethpage Black.

If he makes the team on merit, then it will be well deserved, and you would not put it past Bradley to play an instrumental role in what is likely to be a comfortable home victory.

If Bradley misses out again, then there is plenty of time in the future for him to be a captain.

His counterpart, Luke Donald, will not say it out loud, but he will certainly be quietly enjoying the situation Bradley finds himself in.

Is Rory McIlroy's latest decision acceptable?

Masters champion Rory McIlroy has caused a bit of a stir this week over his decision to skip the first leg of the PGA Tour's playoffs in Memphis.

It is not the first time McIlroy has opted out of a big tournament, and it certainly will not be the last, given the 36-year-old has gone on record about his desire to trim down his schedule as he is not getting any younger.

But I am not sure what to make of this.

On the one hand, McIlroy is assured of a spot in the second leg next week given his standing. He is also not risking his starting score at the season finale at East Lake, given that the PGA Tour has now abandoned the starting strokes format.

There are also no rules stating that if you make the playoffs you have to play, so you can certainly make the argument that McIlroy is not doing anything wrong.

However, McIlroy's choice got me thinking about the comments he made a few years ago when he pointed out that the PGA Tour was not just in a battle with LIV Golf.

McIlroy explained that the Tour was also competing with the likes of TikTok and Instagram for attention.

He is the most talented player of his generation, and I believe the Tour simply cannot afford its players taking such a casual approach to its one of its flagship events. 

What do you think?

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