Tour Confidential: Who has to select Keegan Bradley with Ryder Cup Captain’s Picks?

Check every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors while breaking down the most popular topics in the sport and participating in the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week we will discuss who Keegan Bradley should opt for the choices of his captain, the victory of Tommy Fleetwood and more.

With the conclusion of the Tour Championship on Sunday, the American Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley will now complete his team with six Captain’s Picks that he will make on Wednesday. Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English and Bryson Dephambeau are already in the team. Turn on the cap of your captain and name the six wildcard picks that you would make.

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): Gimme Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Young and Keegan Bradley. Don’t think someone else has to answer – those are the right choices.

Josh Schrock, Nieuwseditor (@schrock_and_Awe): I have the same six as Dylan. I think it would be electric if Keegan Sam would take Burns and I would leave Ben Griffin at home only for the #Boysclub -Discours, but those are the right six.

Zephyr Melton, editor of Game improvement (@zepyrmelton): What about Keegan takes burns about himself and focuses on his duties as a captain? The fact that the US has given De Captainincy to a man who has four career Ryder Cup points, simply because he hurt his feelings last time, is absurd enough. Let us not compound errors.

That means that the biggest Ryder Cup snub will be …

Dethier: Maverick McNealy. The numbers say he is the best man who is not in my team, but this summer he just didn’t do enough to stand out like a must-pick.

Schrock: The figures can say McNealy, but I think the biggest snub is burns, which was nails with the Presidents Cup and fits well with Scheffler.

Melton: Probably burns because we all know that Keegan chooses himself …

The biggest decision on Wednesday can be if Bradley chooses himself to be a play captain. In East Lake he admitted that his situation is “unique” because of his age (39). “You worry that people may say by my side, if you don’t win, that was a mistake, that was complacent,” he said. “I am very aware of that. Whatever decision I make, I will be determined by this decision. If we win, it doesn’t matter which decision I make.” Although we already know your opinion about if Keegs should choose itself, do you think it was unfair for the PGA of America to put him in the first place in this situation? Should they have been looking for a captain who didn’t have to worry about the possible distraction of playing?

Dethier: What I am most intrigued by, looking back, is the fact that Bradley’s selection came with the subtext that the PGA of America did not think he would make the team. For a man who likes to prove people wrong, that must have been welcome fuel. But now that we are here? I just love it. I think he gave a spark to the team and the American fans. I like to see someone pulling a double duty; This is a miniature version of Shohei Ohtani or Travis Hunter who plays both sides. After all, sports should be fun and cool. This makes the Ryder Cup so much more interesting.

Schrock: I think the problem is that the captain’s cupboard was pretty bald, where Tiger was apparently not interested and is Phil, you know, Phil. The PGA of America had to find a captain and, let’s be honest, they had to change things. Based on Scheffler’s quotes about having a captain who is always near the top players and she knows and understands, I think the move actually had its intended effect. Just as Dylan noted, if it also got the best from Keegan as a player, that is a bonus and will provide an electric week on Bethpage.

Melton: It is still a head-scratcher that Keegan was selected as a captain. It seems to me that this was the consolation prize after he had been beaten for Rome. Was it an outside-the-box movement? Yes – but on what merits? It is not as if the man has been his entire career for our teams. To make a base balance, would Aaron Boone be the manager of the Yankees if he would not hit Walk-Off Home Run in 2003? No, and we see how that goes. Would Keegan Bradley be the Ryder Cup captain if he had unpacked his suitcase after the Ryder Cup 2014?

On the European side we now also know the six car qualifications: Rory Mcilroy, Robert Macintyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton and Rasmus Hojgaard. Which team do you think the lead has with its car qualifications? And something you notice about the two parties?

Dethier: What is striking is that, unless something unexpected happens, Team 11 of its 12 players returns from 2023, with a fascinating situation at no. 12 exchanging Rasmus Hojgaard for his twin brother Nicolai. What else? The risk of being Rah-Rah, which is striking, is that this should be a great Ryder cup; These are two sides whose top boys shoot at all cylinders.

Schrock: The Americans have the best player, but in my opinion the Europeans have a better six than the Americans, especially seeing how Scratchy has been Xander’s game and the uncertainty about how Bryson (and his prototype ball) will take with the team.

Melton: I agree with Schrock above. I love the top of the American side, but the euros have a lot of experience with their depth.

Tommy Fleetwood won the Tour Championship (and $ 10 million Fedex Cup) on East Lake on Sunday. Why do you think Fleetwood’s victory seemed to resonate for so many – including LeBron James?

Dethier: Golf will inevitably beat you, especially if you don’t play the kind of golf you want, but somehow the Fleetwood has never defeated. There is no cynicism and not a filthy ego – only a serious attempt every time. It is hard to imagine that someone against Fleetwood root. And mine doingHe’s good. For everyone who has ever come close, but is a shortage about something, he is a model for how to respond.

Schrock: I think the most important thing that has attracted people to Tommy, the eternal optimism that he has shown in the light of some crushing disappointments. It is his ability to be open and vulnerable in the moments after the defeat and his ruthless positivity while he climbs to his goals that resonate. I think people want to root for people who are authentic themselves, and there is a magnetism to see someone fall and stand up and eventually cross the line. Think of Rory of the masters, but on a smaller scale.

Melton: Sports fans love a story of redemption and Tommy fits in with the bill. Looking at someone who looks at the mountain top after so much heartache will always be compelling. Count me among those who smile as soon as the last putt fell.

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