It seems inevitable now that Keegan Bradley will be player-captain for Team USA at the Ryder Cup, but just how much will he play at Bethpage Black?
Bradley has warned anyone not in the automatic qualifying spots to expect the worst as nobody outside the top six is guaranteed a pick.
That is, apart from the captain, who is in ninth in the standings but his victory at the Travelers Championship and rise up to a career-best world ranking seemingly makes him a certainty to play.
Just how much he will play will depend entirely on the needs of the team though, as Bradley told the Fore Play podcast that he’s just focused on helping the USA win back the Ryder Cup – not his individual success.
“I only want to put the team in a position to win,” said Bradley on the Fore Play podcast. “So if that means me playing then I’m going to play, if that means me not playing then I’m not going to play.
“If that means me playing all five or one match then that’s what we’re going to do – that’s all I care about – I have no hidden agendas about wanting to play or not wanting to play I just want to do what’s best for the team.”
Bradley admitted that the thought of playing “was completely ridiculous” when he was named captain, but adding his team of vice-captains has now convinced him that it is possible.
“The task of maybe playing, again it’s maybe playing, this isn’t a guaranteed thing. It’s much more manageable now,” said Bradley.
Jim Furyk in particular has already been a big help, thanks to his “amazing amount of knowledge of being a captain, of winning a Presidents Cup, of playing in a billion team events”.
Bradley accepts that as such a young captain with no experience, he’ll have to lean on his vice-captains more than most – but believes that’s also an advantage when it comes to him playing.
“I’ll have to rely on the vice-captains more than other captains might,” said Bradley. “Even if I don’t play I still have to rely on them probably more than any other captain has.
“I’ve never been a captain, so no matter what these vice-captains will probably have a bigger role than any other vice-captains have had.
“I feel lucky to have these guys and we’re going to be able to…
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