ATLANTA — Keegan Bradley met with reporters shortly, shuffling out and in of the media heart in lower than 10 minutes because of his busy schedule. However the principle level of dialogue throughout that temporary time was not his current triumph on the BMW Championship. No. It largely revolved across the Presidents Cup and the way the 38-year-old Bradley may make this 12 months’s U.S. crew.
Captain Jim Furyk will solidify the American squad on Tuesday, making six extra picks after this week’s Tour Championship. Bradley, subsequent 12 months’s Ryder Cup captain, is at the moment eighth within the standings, however he would higher serve himself and subsequent 12 months’s prospects at Bethpage Black by sitting this one out.
As an alternative, he ought to function one in every of Furyk’s assistants. Furyk already tabbed Kevin Kisner, Stewart Cink, and Justin Leonard as vice-captains, however it could profit everybody if he included Bradley, too.
“I definitely suppose being a vice-captain would assist me as a captain at Bethpage as a result of whenever you’re enjoying, your mentality modifications a bit,” Bradley mentioned Tuesday.
“[When you are playing,] you’re extra wired. You’re pondering, ‘Geez, I’ve obtained the alternate shot gap or the powerful drive. So there’s different issues in your thoughts.”
Bradley has not performed in a Ryder Cup since 2014 and made just one Presidents Cup crew, representing Workforce USA at Muirfield Village in 2013.
A decade has handed since Bradley was a part of an American locker room. It’s not like Bradley has misplaced that feeling or the understanding of how these relationships work, however he could be higher served to help Furyk in decision-making. He would be taught to guide a crew on this compelling competitors, one that can set him up properly for the Ryder Cup subsequent fall.
But Bradley is at the moment probably the greatest People on the planet. He arrives at East Lake ranked fourth within the FedEx Cup rankings and has an awesome likelihood to win the trophy and the $25 million that comes with it.
He is aware of that, too.
“Being contained in the ropes with these guys within the battle, within the warmth, reminding myself how powerful that is, and if a scenario arises the place I’m enjoying at Bethpage, enjoying this, enjoying on the Presidents Cup would definitely assist,” Bradley mentioned.
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“I’ve gone forwards and backwards, and I believe that there are execs and cons to each of them. No matter occurs, I should determine the best way to make the most effective of it.”
A situation can come up by which Bradley makes subsequent 12 months’s Ryder Cup crew. He must end among the many prime six within the Ryder Cup standings as a result of he beforehand mentioned he wouldn’t decide himself as a captain’s decide. He virtually made this 12 months’s crew, ending eighth within the standings. Final week’s BMW Championship finalized Workforce USA, as Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay, and Sahith Theegala completed among the many prime six. However now Furyk has six captain’s picks to make, and Bradley is amongst his choices.
“You’ve all the time obtained to keep in mind that these guys had been gamers, too, and Jim is a Corridor-of-Fame participant. He was explaining a scenario to me; I forgot which Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup it was; he was in a really comparable spot to me; he was a vice-captain, however he was nonetheless attempting to make the crew. So he is aware of what I’m going by way of,” Bradley mentioned.
“I believe because it involves this week [at the Tour Championship], I believe with the totally different [starting-strokes] format and stuff like that, I believe it shouldn’t come down to at least one week that you just resolve whether or not an individual goes to play a month later. However there’s a part of me that feels horrible about having put him on this place. However I need to be as upfront with him and trustworthy with him, and he’s been nice.”
As patriotic as he’s, Bradley desires to do what’s finest for the crew. However despite the fact that he’s at the moment one of many PGA Tour’s prime gamers, watching this Presidents Cup from exterior the ropes, lending his opinion to Furyk, and studying from these sensible minds will assist the People in the long term.
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By means of. Make sure you take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You may observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.