Plenty of people had Stewart Cink down to be Team USA's next Ryder Cup captain if - for whatever reason - bookmakers' favorite Tiger Woods turned down the opportunity.
Cink is a five-time Ryder Cup player who was also a vice-captain during Zach Johnson's unsuccessful stint as boss at Marco Simone last time out. He also won the 2009 Open Championship and has top-three finishes in all of the other Majors across his career.
Woods declined to be captain at Bethpage Black, but still Cink wasn't offered the role.
The PGA of America opted to go in a completely different direction and appoint Keegan Bradley as Ryder Cup captain - a man who not only failed to feature on anyone's list of likely contenders but is also still competing for PGA Tour titles.
Reacting to the news as he prepares to tee it up at the Scottish Open this week, Cink admitted he was disheartened to miss out but is backing Bradley to regain the Ryder Cup for Team USA.
Speaking to Golf Channel, Cink said: “I’m disappointed that I wasn’t chosen to be the captain of course. I was really hoping to be in that role. But I love the United States and I love the players. I just have so much respect for the players and the Ryder Cup.
"Keegan has got great energy, he's still playing great, and he'll do a really good job. I know he wants a team win and - being from New England, with his roots there around New York - I think he'll be a great captain up there."
When the next edition takes place in September 2025, then-39-year-old Bradley will be the youngest Ryder Cup boss since Arnold Palmer combined captaincy with playing duties as a 36-year-old in 1963.
Asked if such a significant change in tactic by the PGA of America signals the fact the governing body is trying to implement a new style of captain moving forward, Cink said: "Could be, I guess. I really don't know much and would only be speculating, but - yeah - the fact that Keegan's never been in any kind of assistant role.
Stewart Cink was assistant to Zach Johnson at the most recent Ryder Cup
"He played on some teams, for sure, and he's played some good golf - and he won the PGA Championship. Those count for a lot.
"But younger, for sure, and closer in age range to the players that are going to be on the team could be a factor. Maybe Team USA/the Ryder Cup is looking to change things, I really don't have any idea, to be honest. But, certainly, it's a younger selection they've been making."
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