Captaincy By Committee? USA Vice-Captain Reveals Ryder Cup Plan B If Skipper Keegan Bradley Makes The Team

Team USA captain Keegan Bradley wants to play in the Ryder Cup, he's said as much numerous times, but just who will make all the decisions if he does make his own team?

Bradley would be the first USA playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963 should he qualify - but there's a consensus that playing and captaining just isn't possible in the modern Ryder Cup.

But it seems that if Bradley does make the team, he will not relinquish the captaincy, but instead use his vice-captains as a committee to make all the decisions during times when he's out on the course.

One of those vice-captains, Brandt Snedeker, spoke about the situation when being introduced as the new US Presidents Cup captain - saying the players likely to make the Ryder Cup team feel Bradley should be playing.

“With regards to Keegan playing, I think everybody on the team wants Keegan to play great and make the team,” Snedeker said.

“I think that’s something that the players have spoken about quite openly, that they think Keegan is one of the 12 best players in the world now on the American side.

“With regards to who would be the captain in that scenario, we have four other guys in the room right now that are perfectly capable of it, and I’m sure there will be some collaboration between all of us to take over that role for Keegan even though this is going to be Keegan’s team.

"No matter if he’s playing or captaining, his fingerprints are going to be all over it. Our job as assistant captains will be to make sure that we carry out his wishes and carry out the team thing the way he wants it done.”

It's still purely hypothetical, as with Bradley currently 22nd in the US Ryder Cup rankings he has work to do to make the top six - as he's said he will not use a wildcard pick for Bethpage Black on himself.

Bradley playing a starring role at the last Presidents Cup "showed that this guy is built for team competitions" according to Snedeker, and the USA as a team seem to be hoping their captain does bring his clubs with him to Bethpage.

The prospect is being seriously talked about too, but there's no hint of Bradley being replaced as captain if he qualifies to play.

Everyone seems to accept that he wouldn't be able to do both roles fully, but the preferred plan is one of a big dose of delegation and a captaincy committee involving his trusty lieutenants.

“Keegan’s talked about this,” Snedeker said. “I don’t think you can do both. I don’t think it’s possible to be able to do both, just with how much stuff goes into being a captain.

"I think Keegan will probably lean on Jim [Furyk], obviously, who’s going to be in that room as well. There’s a bunch of guys that can step up and hopefully fill that void.”

Bradley's appointment as captain was a surprise, now his bid to make the team is one of the biggest talking points - and it would be hugely fascinating to see the plan unfold if he were to book a spot on his own side.