– Next Wednesday, the captain of the United States team for the Ryder Cup, Keegan Bradley, will announce his six picks to complete the stars and stripes team that will play as hosts at Bethpage in a month’s time (26-28 September). In some way, his final decision hinges on the possibility of including himself in the team, reviving the captain/player role, which hasn’t been seen since Arnold Palmer last took it on in 1963.
– (Let’s open a historical information parenthesis here. In fact, the US captain almost always combined both roles in all the Ryder Cups, from the first in 1927 until that 1963 edition. Only Walter Hagen in 1937 and Ben Hogan in 1949 did not, although both had previously served as captain/players; Hagen, specifically, in the first five editions of the competition. On the European side, something very similar happened. There were many captain/players from that first edition in 1927 until 1961, when it last occurred with Dai Rees. Since then, never again).
– Keegan Bradley noted yesterday, once the TOUR Championship was over, that he hasn’t talked much with his vice-captains about the six picks recently. “I’m sure they’ve talked a lot behind my back, I think they wanted to leave me alone this week competing, so now we’ll talk and make decisions,” he said. In 48 hours, at most, he will make the necessary round of calls to all the candidates. It seems he is not too keen on including himself, although nothing can be ruled out since he hasn’t publicly ruled it out yet…
And who are those candidates he will have to call in the next 24 or 48 hours? Almost certainly, the ten players who finished between 7th and 16th in the Ryder standings will receive the dreaded or eagerly awaited call, depending on the news they receive. Namely, according to the order established in that table: Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Maverick McNealy, Keegan Bradley (he obviously won’t call himself), Brian Harman, Andrew Novak, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay, and Sam Burns.
It doesn’t even seem reasonable to add any LIV Golf players to this list. Once DeChambeau got into the top six and earned his spot, the next Americans in the Saudi league ranking are Talor Gooch and Patrick Reed. Both have won one tournament each this year in LIV, but it doesn’t seem that this gives them more credit than any of the guys Bradley has been around all year.
– Morikawa was considered a certainty, but his exclusion could be the big surprise. He is not playing well: his performance in the FedEx playoffs has been rather dull (22nd, 33rd, and 19th) and his statements yesterday, after finishing the TOUR Championship, are not exactly reassuring: “Just like last year. There were good things, bad things… That’s how this year has been. I have to make some changes. Even if I don’t want to change, I have to. These are frustrating years where I feel I come in with a positive attitude and, looking back, I wonder what I could have done better. It’s a bit unfortunate to end the year like this,” he noted somewhat gloomily. However, he does not rule himself out for Bethpage: “I haven’t been playing very well, but I think I’m a great asset to that team. Hopefully, I get a positive call from Keegan,” he stated.
– When it comes to ruling out and assuming Bradley doesn’t finally include himself among the six picks, the first name everyone has crossed off the list is Andrew Novak, honestly. As a rookie contender, he probably needed to show more than that sixth place in the FedEx St. Jude, the first playoff. Yesterday, after finishing the TOUR Championship, no one asked him about the Ryder, something that was done with the rest of the candidates…
– Justin Thomas is a certainty. Two years ago, he was called without even making it to the FedEx Cup playoffs. This time he has offered much more. “Two years ago, I was very lucky. These are different situations. This time I’ve finished seventh or eighth in the standings, so I feel good about it, although anything can happen, everything is in the captain’s hands,” he said yesterday.
– Patrick Cantlay’s numbers in the Ryder support his candidacy. He has played two editions and in eight matches has scored 5.5 points. Moreover, he has more influence in the locker room than his seemingly low profile in public suggests. And his final sprint has been convincing, fighting until the last breath for the FedEx Cup in Atlanta.
– Ben Griffin, Maverick McNealy, Sam Burns, Cameron Young, and Brian Harman are also in the running, all of them believe they have chances, although none are completely sure, as can be inferred from their statements.
– Griffin, for example, has pointed out that “it’s going to be 24 to 48 hours of a lot of anxiety. I wouldn’t say stressful, because I feel too fortunate to be stressed. But definitely anxious to see if I earned a spot on that team or if Keegan believes in me.”
– Cameron Young, even, openly acknowledges that it would be a great disappointment not to be at Bethpage. “Yes, obviously I have no idea when I’ll get the call or what it will say. Either way, I’m really looking forward to being on that team. If the call goes badly, in my opinion, it will be a bit hard to accept. I feel like I’ve done everything possible to get in.”
– Brian Harman appeals to that unique Ryder character he has already experienced. “It’s a bit strange: we’re here playing for so much money and all those trophies, and for some of us, those teams mean everything. The Ryder Cup is hugely important and an incredible event.”
– And Burns or McNealy, almost with identical words, show their unconditional support for Bradley no matter what happens in the next 48 hours. “No one wants to win the Ryder more than he does, so he’ll do what’s best for the team.” Today the captain and his vice-captains will finalize the list, so the fate of all of them is on the table right now…
