Golf Analyst shares ‘irony’ behind Keegan Bradley’s decision to not play the Ryder Cup

Keegan Bradley recently announced his captain's picks for the upcoming 2025 Ryder Cup. However, many fans and fellow members of the golf community were left stunned by one of his decisions.

Having played incredibly well on the PGA Tour of late and ending the 2025 season ranked 11th on the Team USA Ryder Cup rankings, many expected the golfer to pick himself to be a playing captain.

When news came out that Bradley left himself off the list, a golf analyst took a moment to point out the irony in the moment. While explaining that the now 39-year-old was left off the Ryder Cup in 2023 in Rome, Jason Sobel pointed out that with his exceptional performance over the last two years, any captain would be lucky to have him representing the United States of America.

CBS Sports reposted the analyst's take on the situation on Instagram. Jason Sobel wrote (via Instagram @golfoncbs):

"The irony, of course, is that Keegan Bradley was left off the Ryder Cup team two years ago, which undeniably led to him being named captain for this one, and he undoubtedly would've been named to the team if anyone else was captain."

Here's a look at Jason Sobel's post on X that quickly caught the attention of many golf enthusiasts and fans (via Instagram @golfoncbs):

If Keegan Bradley were to pick himself to be the playing captain, he would have been the first to do so since Arnold Palmer in 1963. According to CNN Sports, the 8 time PGA Tour winner had a hard time making the decision, but ultimately, he was clear on who he wanted to represent the country.

The 2025 Travelers Championship winner has had dreams of playing for Team USA at the Ryder Cup for many years to come. After being turned down by Zach Johnson at the last edition of the tournament in Rome, he was determined to make it on the team.

Following the conclusion of the 2025 PGA Tour season, Bradley ranked 11th on the Ryder Cup points list.

According to a report by CNN Sports, Keegan Bradley made the call after consulting with his vice-captains and feels confident about it.

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Who's a part of Keegan Bradley's team for the Ryder Cup?

Here's a look at the final team that will be heading to Bethpage Black this September as Keegan Bradley leads them through the prestigious tournament (via Ryder Cup):

Team

• Scottie Scheffler (automatically qualified via points)
• J. J. Spaun (automatically qualified via points)
• Xander Schauffele (automatically qualified via points)
• Russell Henley (automatically qualified via points)
• Harris English (automatically qualified via points)
• Bryson DeChambeau (automatically qualified via points)
• Sam Burns (captain's pick)
• Patrick Cantlay (captain's pick)
• Ben Griffin (captain's pick)
• Collin Morikawa (captain's pick)
• Justin Thomas (captain's pick)
• Cameron Young (captain's pick)

Vice-Captains

• Jim Furyk
• Kevin Kisner
• Webb Simpson
• Brandt Snedeker
• Gary Woodland