"We don't know" - Keegan Bradley reacts to Rory McIlroy's comments about difficulties in being a playing captain

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley has addressed Rory McIlroy’s recent claim that it is not possible to succeed as a playing captain. McIlroy, who has already qualified for Team Europe under captain Luke Donald, has ruled out taking the dual role in the future.

Bradley, meanwhile, is set to lead the United States, but it is still uncertain if he will compete as a player in the 2025 Ryder Cup tournament at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York, starting on September 26. He is 10th in the U.S. Ryder Cup points standings and will qualify directly if he finishes in the top six after this week’s tournament BMW Championship.

If Bradley does not qualify automatically, he could select himself as one of his six captain’s picks. That would make him the first player-captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963 at East Lake.

Discussing the challenge in a pre-tournament press conference ahead of the BMW Championship in Owings Mills, Maryland, Bradley admitted that there is no clear precedent for the role:

“I mean he might be right. We don't know.”

“Everybody's telling me to start the year that a player can't be captain and have a good year. And for me, I feel like this is one of my best years that I've ever had. One of the strangest things that I've done throughout my entire career is really lean on other people for advice...Nobody knows how this could work. I certainly have a lot of concerns as well as everybody else. But I have the most incredible vice captains, including Jim Furyk, who's been on like a hundred of these teams and been captain a bunch of times. I'd be leaning on them more than any other captain maybe ever. Anyways, even if I'm not playing. So we're ready for this if it happens,” Bradley added.

Keegan Bradley also reiterated that his playing status remains unresolved:

“I can truly sit here right now and say I don't know what's going to happen. I have to look at myself just like any other player trying to make the team. And I'm tenth in points right now, and that's not fixed.”

Keegan Bradley was named U.S. Ryder Cup captain in July 2024 after 15-time major champion Tiger Woods declined the position.

How did Keegan Bradley perform in the 2025 season?

Keegan Bradley has enjoyed a solid season, currently ranking 14th in the FedEx Cup standings and 12th in the Official World Golf Ranking. He is competing in the second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs at the BMW Championship, his 20th start of the 2025 PGA Tour season.

So far, Keegan Bradley has played 19 events, earning one win, five top-10 finishes, and nine top-25 finishes, while missing the cut twice.

Here are his results in 2025: