USA captain Keegan Bradley opts against naming himself as Ryder Cup player

By Jonathan Veal, PA

USA captain Keegan Bradley has resisted the temptation to name himself as a player for next month’s Ryder Cup.

Bradley found himself in a quandary after finishing 11th in the qualification list following an excellent run of form over the summer.

The 39-year-old, who played in the 2012 and 2014 editions, had considered giving himself a wild card which would have seen him become the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963, but ultimately opted against the idea.

Instead he handed picks to Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns.

They join the automatic qualifiers of Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau.

Bradley has decided to focus his energy on devising a strategy to see his country win back the Ryder Cup after they were beaten in Rome in 2023.