The case against Keegan Bradley being Team USA playing captain

There are many big questions to be answered ahead of the 45th Ryder Cup, but none are bigger than the dilemma facing Team USA captain, Keegan Bradley.

As preparations and planning continue for next month's showdown at Bethpage, the debate on the prospect of Bradley picking himself to play on his team rages on. And the common consensus is, it's a BAD idea!

Let's go back to July, 2024, when Bradley was unveiled as the US captain in a move that surprised many. He's still the right side of 40 years of age and still had plenty to offer as a player.

And he's proved that this year, pipping Tommy Fleetwood to the Travelers Championship title in June and posting four further top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour.

Bradley is knocking on the door of the world's top-10 as he prepares to tee it up in the season-ending Tour Championship, and he’ll then turn his attention to finalising his Ryder Cup team with six captain’s picks next week.

So, to make him the youngest Ryder Cup captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963 appeared a strange move at the time, and it's a decision that looks even more misguided a year later.

Bradley was not far off making his own team automatically, ultimately finishing 11th in the qualifying standings. In form, and armed with previous Ryder Cup experience, he would surely be a lock for a pick if anyone else was captain.

He has hinted that he could pick himself and become the first player-captain since Palmer took on that dual role in Atlanta, 62 years ago. And Bradley could attempt to allay the critics by pointing out that Palmer won four of his six matches and led his team to a whopping 23-9 victory.

But the Ryder Cup is a vastly different animal these days. The contest has come a long way since those exhibition-style days when the USA delivered regular beat-downs to GB and Ireland every couple of years.

Since Jack Nicklaus suggested that GB&I become a united European team, the Ryder Cup became far more competitive, generating huge interest worldwide. Tickets sell out in a matter of hours, and it is one of the highest-rated sporting competitions in terms of television viewers and overall revenue.

And as the whole aura of the Ryder Cup has changed, so has the role of captain. It is now a hugely-draining process, both physically and mentally, so it's a credit to Bradley that he has been able to find his form on the course over the last few months.

Unfortunately for him, that good form has now presented him with the biggest dilemma of his career. As I see it, he has only two options when he completes his line-up on Wednesday. 

Option one is to hand over the captaincy to one of his assistants, with Jim Furyk the obvious candidate, and commit to playing and taking on an advisory role when required. Of course, it would be pretty funny if Furyk took over and didn't pick Bradley!

Option two is for Bradley to leave his clubs at home, thus avoiding any temptation, and focus 100 per cent on the myriad of responsibilities that come with being a Ryder Cup captain.

There you go, simple isn't it? It probably doesn't seem that simple to Bradley right now, but the fact is that being a player-captain in a modern-day Ryder Cup just cannot be done.

Don't just take my word for it. I'm in full agreement with the likes of Sam Torrance, Sir Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam and a certain Rory McIlroy. These legends head a lengthy list of respected golf experts who have warned Bradley of the pitfalls of taking on a dual role in New York.

And I'd go a notch further and suggest that such a decision from Bradley could be career ending. If he plays as captain, and it all goes wrong, the unforgiving US sports fans, and the media, will be ready and waiting to take aim … and boy, will they fire!

Bradley has always come across as a steely character, with an ability to brush aside any negatives in a largely-positive career. But if he's a controversial playing captain in a losing US team on home soil, I doubt if anyone could deal with the aftermath that would head his way.

The 39-year-old would need immense mental fortitude to bat away the abuse and avoid suffering a seismic loss of confidence, form and general belief in his own abilities.

He'd be on an absolute hiding to nothing, so there's not a lot to be gained in taking such a risk. Be a player, or be a captain, flip a coin if you have to, but don’t attempt both.

Keep it simple, Keegan. You'll be far better off in the long run.