Keegan Bradley captain’s picks: Why Team USA won’t have playing captain at 2025 Ryder Cup

The Team USA Ryder Cup team is set.

After months of speculation, captain Keegan Bradley decided that he won’t be playing in the 2025 competition, denying the chance to be a playing captain. Bradley had a strong 2025 year, winning the Travelers Championship and finishing in the top 12 of the Ryder Cup standings, but the veteran decided he won’t be a playing member of the team.

Playing captains used to be more common in the Ryder Cup, but it’s been a while since it happened. The last time a captain on either team also played was in 1963, when Arnold Palmer pulled double-duty in a victory.

Since then, captain’s picks were both introduced and expanded, and the captain’s duties have also increased. Therefore, Bradley will just focus on his captain’s responsibilities in the 2025 Ryder Cup.

Here’s a breakdown of why Bradley made his decision.

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Keegan Bradley Captain’s picks

The six Team USA captain’s picks are:

• Justin Thomas
• Collin Morikawa
• Ben Griffin
• Cameron Young
• Patrick Cantlay
• Sam Burns

First look at Captain Keegan Bradley’s @RyderCupUSA team 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Iv8IMNnI7y

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 27, 2025

Notably, Keegan Bradley opted not to choose himself as a playing captain. The 39-year-old said he made the decision a in advance, as his impressive performance over the weekend ultimately didn’t play a role.

“The decision was made a while ago that I wasn’t playing. This was a really tough decision. There was a point this year that I was playing,” Bradley said, via Jason Sobel. “All these guys stepped up in a major way and got themselves onto this team.”

The decision comes even though Bradley ended the season ranked No. 11 in the Ryder Cup standings. Additionally, Bradley was the biggest name left off the 2023 Ryder Cup team, which may have played a role in why he was named captain for this year’s team.

“I grew up wanting to play Ryder Cups. I grew up wanting to fight alongside these guys and it broke my heart not to play. It really did,” he said. “Ultimately I was chosen to do a job. I was chosen to be a captain.”

Young, Cantlay and Burns are all ranked lower in the standings than Bradley, as the three golfers are ranked Nos. 14, 15 and 16. Additionally, Maverick McNealy, Brian Harman and Andrew Novak are three other players who were passed over this time around for players lower in the standings. 

MORE: Inside Team USA 2025 Ryder Cup roster

Has Keegan Bradley played in the Ryder Cup?

Bradley has played in two Ryder Cups, both ending in defeat. He debuted in 2012 as a rookie on the U.S. team that squandered a lead on Sunday to lose at home, then returned in 2014 for another loss on the road.

Since then, Bradley has been eager for another chance, narrowly missing out on a roster spot for the 2023 team in Rome. Instead, the PGA of America tapped him to serve as captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup — even though he remained a legitimate option to make the team as a player.

MORE: What is a captain’s pick for Ryder Cup?

Keegan Bradley Ryder Cup record

In two Ryder Cups, Bradley has a combined record of 4-3 in matches. He went 3-1 as a rookie at Medinah in 2012, with his lone loss coming against Rory McIlroy in a singles match on Sunday, but then went just 1-2 at the 2014 Ryder cup in Scotland.