“He’s an older guy” - Fred Couples reasons Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup team snub by his 'not in tight' relationship with teammates

Fred Couples recently suggested that Zach Johnson’s captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup was made with pairings in mind. The ace golfer used the reasoning to dismiss Keegan Bradley’s snub from the squad.

Claiming that Bradley was incompatible like others, Couples said that the 37-year-old was an “older guy” who wasn’t “in tight” with others on the squad.

The Ryder Cup vice-captain’s comments came after Bradley described himself as an "outsider" in a conversation about the US squad for Rome. The golfer was speaking to Golf Channel's Todd Lewis when he said that he expressed disappointment over not getting the pick.

Following this, Fred Couples explained the PGA Tour star’s snub and how it didn’t have anything to do with the player’s game. Speaking about Keegan Bradley on his SiriusXM PGA Tour radio show, Couples said, as quoted by Golf Digest:

"There’s no 'outside.' I saw Keegan Bradley’s statement. I left him off the team [as 2011 Presidents Cup captain] when he won a PGA. It’s the harshest thing you can do to a guy… I feel like it’s the players’ team, but you can’t have guys telling the captain 'here’s who I want, should be on it,' unless you’re a Jordan Spieth or a Scottie Scheffler, or a [Patrick] Cantlay."

"Now they’re picking other guys that may not have the record of Keegan, but they pair them up perfectly," he added. "I like Keegan. He’s an older guy, and he’s not in tight with them. If that had 20 per cent to do with it, I won’t argue that."

It is pertinent to note that Keegan Bradley is 37 years old. The golfer’s snub from the US Ryder Cup squad made the headlines after Zach Johnson announced Justin Thomas and Sam Burns as two of his picks. Several fans came forward slamming the decision to drop Bradley for Thomas, who’s had a forgettable season.

Despite impressive wins at the 2022 Zozo Championship and the 2023 Travelers Championship, Bradley will now have to wait more for his third Ryder Cup appearance. It’ll be interesting to see if Bradley gets the call at the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black when he’ll be nearing 40.

---

Keegan Bradley disappointed over the Ryder Cup snub

Zach Johnson on Tuesday, August 29, announced the captain's pick for the 2023 Ryder Cup. He named Jordan Spieth, Sam Burns, Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, and Justin Thomas to his squad, dropping out the likes of Lucas Glover, Keegan Bradley, and Cameron Young.

Soon after, Bradley took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express his disappointment.

Bradley, who stood 11th in points for the event in Italy, said that he could’ve brought some much-needed experience to the squad if picked.

However, the golfer failed to join the six automatic qualifiers Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa, and Xander Schauffele and will now be a spectator in Rome.