Inside Keegan Bradley’s back-and-forth on ‘extremely difficult’ Ryder Cup decision

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley shocked the golf world Wednesday with his decision not to tab himself as one of the six wild-card picks to play in the highly anticipated matches Sept. 26-28 at Bethpage Black.

After months of speculation that Bradley — clearly one of the top players in the world (No. 11 in the world rankings) — would name himself one of the six captain’s picks, he decided instead to only serve as team captain, an honor bestowed upon him 13 months ago by the PGA of America.

The mantra all along on the part of the 39-year-old Vermont native was that he was going to do whatever was best for the team, not him. And that’s the tack he took when making his picks.

“I truly felt this whole time that I needed to be the captain from the very start,’’ Bradley said Wednesday. “My vice captains knew that, a lot of the players knew that. These six guys played so incredibly well coming down the stretch here it made my decision a lot easier.’’

Bradley sat at a podium Wednesday morning inside the PGA of America headquarters in Frisco, Texas, and read off his anticipated six picks.

He began with Justin Thomas, followed by Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young and Patrick Cantlay, dramatically pausing and gulping a bit before announcing that sixth and final selection that so many believed would be him.

As surely the weight of not announcing himself sank in for one final time, he called the name … Sam Burns.

“(Not playing) was an extremely difficult decision, but one that I’m really happy with,’’ Bradley insisted. “I’m really happy with these six players … and I’m glad it’s over. Part of it has been a relief. I get to focus on this and cheer these guys on for the next month or so.’’

Bradley revealed that his plan all along was to serve only as captain, but his win at the Travelers Championship in June threw a monkey wrench into that plan.

“I knew in the back of my mind that I just wanted to be the captain,’’ Bradley said. “And then, after Hartford, I sort of had to back off that a little bit and be more open to the idea of playing. There was a point this year where I was playing … and then all these guys stepped up in a major way and played their way onto this team. These six guys played so incredibly well coming down the stretch here it made my decision a lot easier.’’

Had Bradley tabbed himself, he would have been the first playing captain for a U.S. Ryder Cup team since Arnold Palmer helped lead the Americans to an overwhelming 23-9 victory in England in 1963.

Bradley played in two Ryder Cups (in 2012 at Medinah, where he famously paired with Phil Mickelson and went 3-1 as a rookie, and in 2014 at Gleneagles in a U.S. loss, going 1-2,) and said before making these picks official that this was the most difficult decision he’s ever made in his life.

Bradley was controversially left off the 2023 team despite finishing 11th on the points list when then-captain Zach Johnson opted to bring players with whom he was more familiar to Rome, where the U.S. was routed by Europe, 16½ to 11½.

“I know he’s gutted,’’ Thomas said Wednesday of Bradley’s decision not to play. “I think all of us are gutted for him. That’s what he feels is best for us, and we have all the faith in the world, and we don’t doubt him for one second.’’

Bradley conceded that “Monday was tough for me,’’ adding, “I was moping around, I was bummed out. But quickly you realize what a dream it is to be a Ryder Cup captain and what a dream it is to be a Ryder Cup captain for these 12 guys that I know so well and a Ryder Cup captain at Bethpage Black, where I showed up to St. John’s as an 18-year-old kid with a dream of playing on the PGA Tour.

“I get to return to that same course as the captain of these guys representing our country. That’s most important. I don’t care how it works out, as long as we win on Sunday.’’