There are few scenarios where a Ryder Cup captain could choose one of the most successful players as the wildcard.
It’s usually a no-brainer. With the looming biennial contest between the United States and Europe, Keegan Bradley finds himself in a unique position.
The US captain has entered contention for the 12-strong team at Bethpage Black in late September following a top-notch run of form.
Since Arnold Palmer led the US team in 1963, when the event was no longer the world’s behemoth it has become, there hasn’t been a playing captain at the Ryder Cup.
However, Bradley’s credentials have been further emphasized by a strong start at this week’s Open Championship.
In an interview that was made available on the Ryder Cup website this week, Bradley stated, “I’ve been playing some pretty good golf, as have a lot of other Americans.”
Making this team would be my number one goal if I wasn’t captain, as the saying goes goes.
I would be thinking, “I have a great chance of making the team,” I would be lying here.
The seven-time world champion has been trying his hardest to avoid discussing the hypothetical at Royal Portrush because of how clearly uneasy the situation is.
In New York, picking himself up as a wildcard might become inconvenient.
Even if Bradley achieves a top finish in the final major of the year that is weighted higher, he still has a chance of being one of the six leading Americans.
Bradley moved up to ninth place in the US Ryder Cup qualifying standings after winning the Travelers Championship last month on the PGA Tour.
The captain will choose a half-dozen more players after the top six are chosen for the team.
Bradley, whose only major success came with the 2011 US PGA Championship, said, “Nothing about picking someone is going to be easy.”
I’ll think about playing if I can get to [finish outside the top six] and feel like I can contribute to the team.
It is not in dispute that Bradley should not be chosen based on his results this year.
Bradley has won five of his past seven starts on the PGA Tour, including a one-shot victory over Tommy Fleetwood from England at the Travelers.
The demand for Bradley to follow Palmer’s lead in Georgia, which was 34 years old, has grown.
Bradley’s “day job” benefits from juggling both of his positions.
He has been letting his playing on the course change, as evidenced by his precise driving and putting at Portrush, and his commitment to his “other job” has prevented him from overanalyzing his performances.
Being tasked with controlling everything feels like a sanctuary, according to Bradley.
“When I get inside the ropes, I can really concentrate on just playing,” says one captain.
When I leave the tournament, I tend to be overly focused on what I did that day, what was coming up, or what swing I’m working on.
“I’m just going to stay focused on the Ryder Cup,” I said. My own game has taken over, and I believe that helps.
He now has a clear advantage over the rest of the team thanks to his impressive performance at Royal Portrush.
He missed the cut at his previous five Opens and shot a three-under 68 on Friday to put himself in halfway-place contention at Claret Jug.
Bradley told BBC Sport, “This is the best round I’ve played at The Open in a very long time.”
Bradley’s appointment has no logic, according to analysis.
BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter
I don’t understand everything about this American Ryder Cup setup, even down to Keegan Bradley’s appointment a year ago.
If you take your eyes too seriously, it still doesn’t make sense then, and it does now.
Bradley is unsure whether they will start with fourballs or foursomes. Luke Donald, the captain of Europe, would already be on top of this, having his stats team working together and putting all the pieces together.
The gap between the European captaincy regime’s efforts and what we see from Americans is enormous.
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