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Keegan Bradley was already in a unique position when he was named the next United States Ryder Cup captain earlier this year.
At just 38 years old, Bradley will be the youngest United States captain in decades. He is also still in the middle of his career, which he proved on Sunday afternoon with his victory in the BMW Championship. This makes him the third active U.S. Ryder Cup captain in history to win on the PGA Tour.
Although there is still over a year until the Ryder Cup, Bradley has undoubtedly played a role in the mix for next month’s Presidents Cup. This is not a place many expected it to be.
“I’m happy to do whatever, play whatever role they want me to play,” Bradley said after his victory in Castle Pines, Colorado, on Sunday. “I think being Ryder Cup captain put me in that category of player when there wasn’t really a Ryder Cup captain playing full time on Tour.
“One of my goals was to make the Presidents Cup team. So we’ll see. I hope I didn’t ruin everyone’s plans, but I’m proud to be considered.
Despite his victory, Bradley still failed to earn an automatic bid for the U.S. Presidents Cup team. The qualifying period concluded Sunday afternoon and the top six U.S. and international golfers were guaranteed spots on their respective teams. Bradley finished 10th in the U.S. team standings. His only way to make the team now is if Jim Furyk uses one of his captain’s picks on him next month.
Bradley and the American team even hinted at it on social media Sunday evening.
But for now, Bradley is trying to stay focused on the Tour Championship. His win Sunday moved him up an incredible 46 spots in the FedEx Cup standings to earn a spot in the field next week at East Lake.
“When I got here this week, I honestly didn’t think I was going to Atlanta…I was just trying to win the tournament,” he said. “I play very well. I feel very lucky to be in Atlanta.
Keegan Bradley ‘would love’ to play Ryder Cup captain
Regardless of what happens with the Presidents Cup, Bradley could realistically be the first captain to actually play in the Ryder Cup since Arnold Palmer did so in 1963.
While he’s all for it, Bradley said he doesn’t think he can use a captain’s pick on himself.
“I would love to be captain,” he said on Sunday. “No one has really had the opportunity that I’ve had…It’s going to be very difficult for me to make this team, but if I make the team, I’ll play. I don’t see myself being the captain’s choice, but I will be proud to just be captain.
“If I have to go out there and play, I would love to do that too.”
Bradley’s victory Sunday was the seventh of his career and his first since the Travelers Championship last year. He has finished second this season, including a playoff loss at the Sony Open in January, and he will move to 11th in the Official World Golf Rankings on Monday.
Since he said he probably wouldn’t use a captain’s pick on himself, Bradley will have to work his way into the top six to earn an automatic bid on the team. He won’t have much room for error there, considering how Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and others have played this season.
But if Bradley can build Sunday’s win into a strong 2025 campaign, it’s by no means out of the question. He could very easily compete at Bethpage Black alongside his team next fall.
“I still feel like I’m at the peak of my career,” he said. “I feel like there are a lot of aspects of my game that are the best it’s ever been, and I feel like I have years ahead of me. I wanted to be part of that Ryder Cup team at Bethpage that I was captain of. It’s still one of my goals. I feel like I can still continue to play at a high level for a while.