Keegan Bradley has gone against the wishes of President Donald Trump by deciding not to pick himself for next month’s Ryder Cup match against Europe.
Team USA will take on Europe at Bethpage Black in New York next month and on Wednesday, Bradley revealed his six captain’s picks: Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns.
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English and LIV star Bryson DeChambeau had already qualified for the US team.
Bradley – ranked No 11 in the world – finished 11th in the race to make the team. But after a fine season – ‘the most incredible year of my life’ – the 39-year-old came under increasing pressure to pick himself, most notably from Trump.
The president said earlier this week that Bradley should ‘definitely’ be on the team. Trump also revealed that he will be at at the opening round of the match. But Bradley said he made the decision not to pick himself ‘a while ago.’
‘I know 100 per cent this is the right choice,’ the captain added, insisting his picks ‘made my decision a lot easier.’
Keegan Bradley has made the bombshell decision not to pick himself for the Ryder Cup
Team USA will take on Europe – captained by Luke Donald – at Bethpage Black in New York
Bradley branded Thomas ‘the heartbeat of our team,’ claiming the two-time major champion ‘was made to play Ryder Cups.’
Morikawa described the pressure of facing Europe as ‘a privilege,’ while rookie Ben Griffin called his selection the ‘biggest honor.’
New Yorker Young set the course record at Bethpage as an amateur, while Bradley said Team USA will ‘rely heavily’ on Cantlay. He branded Burns the best putter on the planet.
European captain Luke Donald is due to announce his picks for the 45th Ryder Cup on September 1.
MORE TO FOLLOW