Keegan Bradley busy finalising US Ryder Cup details - and pushing for a spot

The last time there was a playing captain at the Ryder Cup was Arnold Palmer back in 1963.

USA Ryder Cup Keegan Bradley is in with a shout of automatically making the team for Bethpage. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Irish angles on the 2025 Open leaderboard aren’t restricted to those born on this island.

China Haotong Li, eight-under par after two 67s, has spoken before of the key role played in his development as a player in Shanghai by PGA pro Paul McLoughlin who was director of golf at a club outside the city.

Tony Finau leapt into the top ten with a second-round 67 and on his bag for this week, and this week only, is the veteran Colin Byrne. Rasmus Hojgaard, three off the lead at the halfway stage, won last year’s Irish Open at Royal County Down.

Keegan Bradley, whose grandparents hailed from Cork, is just outside the top ten after a second-round 68 that leaves him on four-under par, and that raises again the question over what will happen should he continue his good recent form.

USA team captain for September’s Ryder Cup, Bradley sits ninth in the standings with the top six qualifying automatically. The last time there was a playing captain at the event was Arnold Palmer back in 1963.

Bradley has been asked incessantly about this and he described it again on Friday as an “everyday job” and one that he only ever steps away from when inside the ropes. So what if he sits seventh, say, in the standings come the cutoff point in mid-August?

“Nothing about picking whoever it is is going to be easy, but if I get to that position and I feel like I'm going to help the team then I'll consider playing. But I really get asked that question ten times a day, and I don't really have an answer.” 

Bradley has had numerous chats with Tiger Woods, who has served as a playing captain for the USA’s President’s Cup team in the past, about this theoretical dilemma but described the Ryder Cup as a very different animal.

Other preparations for Bethpage are well advanced, including the order of play for the three days.

“We’re very close. The home team usually plays a certain way. You can look it up. We're very close to signing the captain's agreement and getting the course of play set.” 

Team Europe captain Luke Donald will make his captain’s picks after the Betfred British Masters is done on August 24th. Europe will also have six automatic qualifiers with Shane Lowry currently in the last of those.