"It broke my heart" - Keegan Bradley reflects on his decision not to play at the Ryder Cup 2025

Keegan Bradley just announced the names of his six picks for Team USA in this year's Ryder Cup. Despite months of debate and speculation, Bradley did not pick himself as a playing captain. However, he did provide some context on his decision.

Shortly after declaring the name of Sam Burns as the last member of the Team USA Ryder Cup squad, the PGA Tour pro admitted that it was heartbreaking not to pick himself. Keegan Bradley said:

"I grew up wanting to play Ryder Cups. I wanted to fight alongside these guys. It broke my heart not to play, it really did. But I was chosen to be the captain of this team... my ultimate goal is to be the best captain I can be."

However, he also emphasized his intentions regarding the American team. As per Keegan Bradley's statement, he was prepared to do what was best for his team.

"I was always going to do what was best for this team, even if that meant playing. I would have done it. But these guys played incredibly coming down the stretch..."

NUCLR GOLF covered an excerpt of Bradley's statement from today's Ryder Cup press conference. Take a look at their post on X (previously Twitter):

Screenshot from NUCLR Golf's X post on Bradley's statement / X: @NUCLRGOLF

On August 27, fans witnessed Bradley announce the names of six pros who will be joining the automatically qualified six pros led by Scottie Scheffler. Keegan Bradley's picks were Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay, and Sam Burns.

A day before these names were announced, US President Donald Trump shared a note on his Truth Social. Through his message, Trump urged Keegan Bradley to be a playing captain. However, a former Ryder Cup captain warned Bradley to be careful with his decisions regarding himself.

Tom Watson warned Keegan Bradley ahead of his Ryder Cup press conference

Bradley was on the verge of making history as the first playing captain for Team USA in the Ryder Cup since Arnold Palmer in 1963. However, hours before he announced his picks, Tom Watson claimed that it is impossible to maintain a double role. The former US Ryder Cup captain cited scheduling as a major issue that can stand in the way of Keegan Bradley if he plays.

As quoted by The Times, Watson said in his statement:

"The captain has to have his pairings in for the afternoon matches by 11 am. The last two morning matches are going on for sure... you want to have the latitude to say this player is not playing well.

"You can’t do it. You can’t be both."

Watson led Team USA to their Ryder Cup victory in 1993. Bradley is captaining the American squad for the first time in September. It will be interesting to see how Bradley's decisions ultimately turn out.