ATLANTA — Keegan Bradley met with reporters shortly, shuffling out and in of the media heart in lower than 10 minutes as a consequence of his busy schedule. However the principle level of debate throughout that temporary time was not his latest triumph on the BMW Championship. No. It largely revolved across the Presidents Cup and the way the 38-year-old Bradley may make this 12 months’s U.S. group.
Captain Jim Furyk will solidify the American squad on Tuesday, making six extra picks after this week’s Tour Championship. Bradley, subsequent 12 months’s Ryder Cup captain, is at present eighth within the standings, however he would higher serve himself and subsequent 12 months’s prospects at Bethpage Black by sitting this one out.
As an alternative, he ought to function one in every of Furyk’s assistants. Furyk already tabbed Kevin Kisner, Stewart Cink, and Justin Leonard as vice-captains, however it might profit everybody if he included Bradley, too.
“I definitely assume being a vice-captain would assist me as a captain at Bethpage as a result of whenever you’re enjoying, your mentality modifications a bit,” Bradley mentioned Tuesday.
“[When you are playing,] you’re extra wired. You’re considering, ‘Geez, I’ve bought the alternate shot gap or the robust drive. So there’s different issues in your thoughts.”
Bradley has not performed in a Ryder Cup since 2014 and made just one Presidents Cup group, representing Group USA at Muirfield Village in 2013.
A decade has handed since Bradley was a part of an American locker room. It’s not like Bradley has misplaced that feeling or the understanding of how these relationships work, however he can be higher served to help Furyk in decision-making. He would study to steer a group on this compelling competitors, one that may set him up properly for the Ryder Cup subsequent fall.
But Bradley is at present among the finest Individuals on the planet. He arrives at East Lake ranked fourth within the FedEx Cup rankings and has an incredible likelihood to win the trophy and the $25 million that comes with it.
He is aware of that, too.
“Being contained in the ropes with these guys within the battle, within the warmth, reminding myself how robust that is, and if a scenario arises the place I’m enjoying at Bethpage, enjoying this, enjoying on the Presidents Cup would definitely assist,” Bradley mentioned.
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“I’ve gone forwards and backwards, and I feel that there are execs and cons to each of them. No matter occurs, I should work out the right way to make the perfect of it.”
A state of affairs can come up through which Bradley makes subsequent 12 months’s Ryder Cup group. He must end among the many high six within the Ryder Cup standings as a result of he beforehand mentioned he wouldn’t choose himself as a captain’s choose. He nearly made this 12 months’s group, ending eighth within the standings. Final week’s BMW Championship finalized Group USA, as Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay, and Sahith Theegala completed among the many high six. However now Furyk has six captain’s picks to make, and Bradley is amongst his alternatives.
“You’ve at all times bought to do not forget that these guys had been gamers, too, and Jim is a Corridor-of-Fame participant. He was explaining a scenario to me; I forgot which Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup it was; he was in a really comparable spot to me; he was a vice-captain, however he was nonetheless attempting to make the group. So he is aware of what I’m going by means of,” Bradley mentioned.
“I feel because it involves this week [at the Tour Championship], I feel with the totally different [starting-strokes] format and stuff like that, I feel it shouldn’t come down to 1 week that you just resolve whether or not an individual goes to play a month later. However there’s a part of me that feels horrible about having put him on this place. However I wish to be as upfront with him and trustworthy with him, and he’s been nice.”
As patriotic as he’s, Bradley desires to do what’s finest for the group. However regardless that he’s at present one of many PGA Tour’s high gamers, watching this Presidents Cup from outdoors the ropes, lending his opinion to Furyk, and studying from these sensible minds will assist the Individuals in the long term.
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in Via. You should definitely try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You possibly can observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.
