Keegan Bradley is fighting for a spot on the United States Ryder Cup team after an impressive 2022-23 campaign. He won the Zozo Championship during the wrap-around season and the Travelers Championship earlier this summer.
He’s currently 11th in the Ryder Cup points standings with 10 more spots up for grabs — Scottie Scheffler and Wyndham Clark are the only Americans to automatically qualify thus far. The six automatic picks will become official after this week’s BMW Championship, the second of three FedEx Cup Playoff events. As it stands, Patrick Cantlay, Brian Harman, Brooks Koepka and Max Homa own those four spots.
As for Zach Johnson’s captain’s picks, those will be made after next week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta. Bradley is hoping to hear from Johnson with good news, but he’ll have to beat out some Ryder Cup veterans.
Fred Couples, one of Johnson’s vice captains, has gone on record saying Homa, Jordan Spieth and Cameron Young will be in Rome (at the time, Homa didn’t hold an automatic spot). And, it’d be tough to see Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa left off the roster.
So, that brings the team to 10 members, leaving two spots open for business.
That’s where the decisions get difficult. On the outside looking in are Bradley, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Sam Burns, Tony Finau and Lucas Glover, who’s won back-to-back events.
With Fowler’s resurgence this year and his uplifting personality, it’s easy to see Johnson wanting him in that locker room.
So, there could be just one spot left unanswered.
As Johnson’s decision day gets closer, Bradley can’t get the biennial event off his mind.
“Well, I think about the Ryder Cup every second I’m awake basically,” he said Tuesday during a pre-tournament press conference ahead of this week’s BMW Championship at Olympia Fields in Illinois. “My biggest thing right now is trying not to think about it while I’m playing because it’s important to me.
“I feel like I could bring some experience to the team. I would personally love to just be on a team with this younger group.”
Bradley played for Team USA in 2012 and 2014, posting a 4-3-0 record.
Will he make the cut? Tough to say, but we won’t have to wait around much longer to find out.
