Cheers to Tiger Woods—First in Line for Team USA, but a Hectic Schedule Clears the Path for Keegan Bradley’s Captaincy
It’s claimed Tiger Woods has been providing guidance to Team USA captain Keegan Bradley, as preparations intensify for the upcoming battle with Team Europe at Bethpage Black.
Woods was in contention for the captaincy role for the 45th Ryder Cup, but his busy schedule resulted in Bradley’s selection last year. Bradley, who enjoyed a stellar year, was also rumored to potentially become the first captain to compete in the Ryder Cup since Arnold Palmer if he had selected himself.
Nevertheless, Bradley opted against it and recently revealed his six captain’s selections: Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay, and Sam Burns, notably excluding the likes of Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth.
These six will team up with Team USA’s six automatic qualifiers, featuring World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English, and LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau.
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At 39, Bradley also stands as the youngest Ryder Cup captain since Palmer, who was 34 when he served as a playing captain back in 1963.
Bradley has been seeking advice from the iconic Woods, who believes Bradley is “a brilliant choice” for the position, in advance of the showdown at Bethpage Black in New York.
“He’s [Woods] being consulted [by Bradley],” a US Ryder Cup team source told Golf.com. “And I know he feels like he’s a part of Keegan’s decisions and how he’s thinking about it, and Keegan has been hugely respectful of that.
“Without giving [Woods] an outsized role, I think it’s been balanced and kind of appropriate. He’s been sort of an informal advisor or Dutch uncle.”
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Following Bradley’s recent press conference, where he unveiled his captain’s picks, Woods sent a text to a source close to the US team praising the 39-year-old’s handling of the media. The source disclosed: “The gist of the message: ‘Our boy just crushed it. That was an amazing presser.'”
Bradley also recently admitted that while he was personally gutted not to be competing in the Ryder Cup, he chose not to for the benefit of the team. “It’s a really strange thing to kind of ponder,” Bradley said at the recent Tour Championship.
