Bradley Should be First Playing Captain in 62 Years originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
This story is about how one putt threw the U.S. Ryder Cup team into a tizzy.
On Sunday at the Travelers Championship, U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley made a six-foot putt for birdie, and with leader Tommy Fleetwood of England missing an eight-footer, the leader became the runner-up, and Bradley won for his eighth time in his career.
In most scenarios, the win would be the story, but the backstory is more intriguing and centers around how the win changes the look of the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
It was just a year ago on Sunday that Bradley got a phone call from the PGA of America offering him the job of Ryder Cup Captain.
At 38 years old, Bradly would be a young captain, but his desire was never questioned, and his taking the job never seemed in doubt.
But when Bradley’s captaincy was announced weeks later, he threw a spanner into the works by suggesting he wanted to be the first playing captain since 1963 when Arnold Palmer led his team to a 23-9 victory at East Lake.
At the time, it seemed to catch most everyone off guard, including the PGA of America, but now we learn it may have always been their idea.
“Well, when the PGA of America called me, and Zach Johnson was on the call, and Seth Waugh was the person who called me,” Bradley said on Sunday after his win at Travelers. “And he mentioned that he wanted me to be — because when I get the call, I'm thinking I really want to be on the team. And the first thing he said was, We want you to be the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer, which is a heavy burden.”
Does it matter whose idea it was?
What is clear is that an idea that had few supporters and many detractors last July has turned 180 degrees, as Bradley is one of the few American winners in 2025.
With his win, Bradley moved to seventh in the world rankings, his highest position in his career, and moved up eight spots to ninth in the Ryder Cup rankings.
“To be honest with you, I never really planned on playing. I really wanted to just be the captain, and I really felt strongly about that,” Bradley said of his desires as captain. “I want to serve the guys. They asked me to do a job. I want to do it to the best of my abilities.”
However, for the U.S. to put its best team on the field at Bethpage Black, Bradley needs to be part of the team as a player.
Thankfully, it’s still June, which gives Bradley time to put the back room together. Jim Furyk will likely become the de facto second Ryder Cup captain as Bradley focuses on playing.
“Now, with the amazing vice captains that I have, and I have a better perspective of playing in the Presidents Cup and being around a lot of the guys, I feel a lot more comfortable if I went that route,” Bradley said of being a playing captain. “I'm really proud of the guys that are vice captains and — you know, obviously, you got Jim Furyk, one of the greatest players to play and also an incredibly great captain at the Presidents Cup.”
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
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