For the first time in more than six decades, the global golf scene could witness something truly out of the ordinary, a US team captain in the Ryder Cup playing as just another member of the team. Since Arnold Palmer led and played in the 1963 team, no one has combined both responsibilities. Months ago, this possibility seemed distant, but Keegan Bradley‘s victory at the Travelers reopens a possibility that seemed more symbolic than real.
The captain himself acknowledged this Sunday that his triumph changes the scenario: “I would never have thought about playing if I hadn’t won. This definitely opens the door. I don’t know if I will, but I have to look closely at what’s best for the team. There’s still a long way to go, but this changes things a bit.”
The idea of being a player-captain is not only not new to him but was, in fact, an explicit proposal from the very beginning: “When the PGA of America called me a year ago, the first thing they said was: ‘We want you to be the first player-captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963’. My head was spinning, I didn’t quite understand, but they knew it could be a possibility and that we would have a plan for it.”
With his victory in the last designated event of the season, Bradley climbs to 7th place in the world rankings, his best position ever, and reaffirms himself as one of the players in the best form on the circuit. “I feel like one of the best players in the world right now,” he confessed after the final round, before adding: “A year ago, I don’t know if I would have imagined being among the top ten in the world, but I did know I wanted to compete at the highest level.”
Although at the time he accepted the role with the intention of dedicating himself exclusively to being captain: “I wanted to serve the guys, do the job I was entrusted with well,” but he acknowledges that the support of his vice-captains, like Jim Furyk, and his recent experience in the Presidents Cup, have made the possibility of competing as a player seem less distant.
Bradley has been receiving chants of “USA, USA” at every tournament he plays since taking on the role, but what he experienced this week was different: “I didn’t expect this kind of support. I hear it when I play well, when I refuel, in restaurants… but today was crazy. I felt something similar to Medinah. On the 18th hole, it was like being at the Red Sox stadium, there was no silence at any moment”.
Many things to consider, but the story seems to have a script written for Keegan Bradley. The question is… will that be the best for the American team? It’s still early, and as he himself has said: “We have time. We’ll all get together and see what’s the best way to do it”. A new incentive for Bethpage.
