Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley 'Deeply Honored' By Praise From President Trump
Bradley says decision was made 'a while ago' and looks forward to seeing president at tournament.
The 2025 United States Ryder Cup team was officially announced Wednesday morning, and the six captain's picks were both surprising and exactly as expected.
The US captain, Keegan Bradley, who did not automatically qualify in one of the top six spots, had heavily implied in recent weeks that he would pick himself for the 12-man team. And he had a solid case, merit wise, for doing so. Bradley ranked 11th in the Ryder Cup points standings. He was the 10th ranked US player by strokes gained, per data golf. And he's a course fit for Bethpage Black, which generally rewards players who hit the ball a long way.
But Bradley instead picked Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Young and Ben Griffin.
RELATED: Keegan Bradley Surprisingly Passes On Being Playing Captain, Announces Picks For Ryder Cup
Those six picks were widely expected to be the players chosen, if Bradley didn't choose to be a playing captain. And that's how Wednesday was both unexpected, and completely unsurprising. Bradley surely is disappointed he didn't automatically qualify and take the decision part out of it. And someone else was likely disappointed too: President Donald Trump.
United States Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley and European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald participate in a joint new conference as part of the 2025 Ryder Cup Year to Go Celebration held at the Times Center in New York, NY on October 8, 2024. (Photo by Laura Brett/Sipa USA)
Keegan Bradley Comments On President Trump's Support
At Bradley's post-picks press conference, he talked about the decision to remain exclusively a captain.
He told reporters the "decision was made a while ago," a bit of a revelation, considering he'd just recently said that some qualified players had told him they wanted him to pick himself. Then, Bradley addressed his biggest supporter, President Trump.
Trump recently had stated he believed Bradley should "definitely" be on the team.
"Keegan Bradley should DEFINITELY be on the American Ryder Cup Team — As Captain!!! He is an AMAZING guy. It will be a great Ryder Cup," Trump posted on Truth Social.
Keegan addressed that comment at Wednesday's press conference.
"That was really surreal. I’ve been really blown away with the support. Any time you get the support of the President of the United States, it’s surreal and stunning. I really appreciate it, Mr. President. I hope you’re not disappointed," Bradley said. Bradley then added he is "look[ing] forward to seeing [Trump] at the Ryder Cup."
"When you see stuff like that, you start to wonder how we got to this point in my life," he continued. "But I was deeply honored to have him say that."
Rory McIlroy had recently stated he thought it was impossible to be a playing captain. Bradley was asked about that too, and seemed to start a bit of a Cold War of words.
"I am not worried at all about what they do or say. I care about our team. Not quite sure how he would know if it's not possible. No one's ever done it, really," Bradley said.
There's already an extreme amount of pressure on the US team to win at home after a poor showing in Rome in 2023. But add in the president watching, on site, and it ramps up even more.