U.S. captain Keegan Bradley decided the best way to win back the Ryder Cup was to leave his golf clubs at home.
Bradley filled out his 12-man roster Wednesday with six captain’s picks that did not include himself. He had considered becoming the first playing captain of the Ryder Cup since Arnold Palmer in 1963 at East Lake.
Instead, Bradley went with a pair of Ryder Cup rookies in New York native Cameron Young and Ben Griffin, who finished at No. 9 in the standings. Joining them as picks will be Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay.
That gives the Americans four Ryder Cup rookies for the Sept. 26-28 matches against Europe, which will announce the rest of its team on Monday. Europe is likely to return 11 of the 12 players who won in Rome two years ago.
Bradley made a compelling case as a pick, and he likely would have been chosen without much argument if he had not been captain. He has won twice in the last 13 months against strong fields — only Scottie Scheffler has won more since then. He finished at No. 11 in the Ryder Cup standings and was the eighth-best American in the world ranking.
Instead, he will stick to being captain, a decision that is sure to be second-guessed if the Americans don’t win.
European captain Luke Donald makes his six picks on Monday.
