'I Have No Hidden Agendas About Wanting To Play Or Not....I Just Want To Do What’s Best For The Team' - Keegan Bradley Explains Playing Plans for Ryder Cup

Keegan Bradley seems certain to now be playing captain at the Ryder Cup, but he insists he'll have no ego about how many matches he plays at Bethpage

Keegan Bradley after his win in the BMW Championship at Castle Pines
(Image credit: Getty Images)

It seems inevitable now that Keegan Bradley will be player-captain for Team USA at the Ryder Cup, but just how much will he play at Bethpage Black?

Bradley has warned anyone not in the automatic qualifying spots to expect the worst as nobody outside the top six is guaranteed a pick.

That is, apart from the captain, who is in ninth in the standings but his victory at the Travelers Championship and rise up to a career-best world ranking seemingly makes him a certainty to play.

Just how much he will play will depend entirely on the needs of the team though, as Bradley told the Fore Play podcast that he's just focused on helping the USA win back the Ryder Cup - not his individual success.

"I only want to put the team in a position to win," said Bradley on the Fore Play podcast. "So if that means me playing then I’m going to play, if that means me not playing then I’m not going to play.

"If that means me playing all five or one match then that’s what we’re going to do – that's all I care about – I have no hidden agendas about wanting to play or not wanting to play I just want to do what’s best for the team."

Bradley admitted that the thought of playing "was completely ridiculous" when he was named captain, but adding his team of vice-captains has now convinced him that it is possible.

"The task of maybe playing, again it’s maybe playing, this isn’t a guaranteed thing. It’s much more manageable now," said Bradley.

Jim Furyk in particular has already been a big help, thanks to his "amazing amount of knowledge of being a captain, of winning a Presidents Cup, of playing in a billion team events".

Captain Keegan & The Dream Expert | Fore Play Episode 780 - YouTube Captain Keegan & The Dream Expert | Fore Play Episode 780 - YouTube
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Bradley accepts that as such a young captain with no experience, he'll have to lean on his vice-captains more than most - but believes that's also an advantage when it comes to him playing.

"I’ll have to rely on the vice-captains more than other captains might," said Bradley. "Even if I don’t play I still have to rely on them probably more than any other captain has.

"I’ve never been a captain, so no matter what these vice-captains will probably have a bigger role than any other vice-captains have had.

"I feel lucky to have these guys and we’re going to be able to handle this. We're going to be able to handle this."

Paul Higham
Contributor

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush. 

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