Former Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance believes it would be the “worst decision ever” if Keegan Bradley elected to take on a player-captain role for Team USA at Bethpage Black.
The first six names in the United States squad were confirmed after the BMW Championship on Sunday, with Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Harris English, Russell Henley and Bryson DeChambeau the automatic qualifiers.
Bradley will name his six captain’s picks on Wednesday August 27, following the conclusion of the Tour Championship, with the 39-year-old still unsure whether he will select himself and become the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.
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Sky Sports’ Jamie Weir and Sir Nick Faldo sit down with Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley ahead of The Open to discuss a possible dual role
“As of right now, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Bradley – who finished 11th in the Ryder Cup qualification standings – admitted on Monday. “I’m going to do what’s best for the US Ryder Cup team.”
Bradley claimed an eighth PGA Tour title at the Travelers Championship in June and is world No 13, although Torrance believes it would be a mistake for him to take on a dual role for next month’s biennial contest.
“It would be the worst decision a captain has ever made if he was a playing captain,” Torrance told the Sky Sports Golf podcast. “I don’t believe you can do it.
“There are things the captain has to do. He has to put the pairings in Friday and Saturday and he’s the only player in the American team that can talk to his team.
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“You can’t have someone else going onto the 16th saying ‘he hit a five-iron, he hit a six-iron’ – it’s only the captain. He can’t glean enough information about his other teams that he’s had out that morning to get out in the afternoon.
“It’s a very difficult scenario. I mean he’s No 7 [sic: 13th] in the world, he should play. The proper thing to do is play and give the right of captaincy to [Jim] Furyk or someone else.”
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Rory McIlroy has confirmed he has no interest in being a Ryder Cup playing captain, but would have considered it 20 years ago
Bradley has not featured in the Ryder Cup since back-to-back appearances in 2012 and 2014, both won by Team Europe, with Sir Nick Faldo questioning the legacy the American could leave himself if he was to finish as a losing playing captain.
“If he plays, then the fans will say ‘you’re being selfish’, and then the media will say you’ve lost because you haven’t done your duties, then you live in regret for the rest of your life,” Faldo explained on the Sky Sports Golf podcast.
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Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Wayne Riley believes that Europe are now Ryder Cup favourites amid the debate surrounding whether Keegan Bradley
“It’s a shame. To be honest, the team is tough to get into and he should play. He should relinquish his captaincy and play, because when are you going to get another chance for him?
“He loves to play and – as a player – you want to play.”
Faldo: Team USA doesn’t scare us!
Home advantage has traditionally been key in the Ryder Cup, with Europe registering just four away victories in Ryder Cup history and every contest going in favour of the hosts since the ‘Miracle at Medinah’ in 2012.
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Team USA claimed victory by a record-breaking margin the last time the contest was held on American soil in 2021, although Faldo – part of away wins in 1987 and 1995 – believes the Europeans will embrace the challenge of making history in New York.
“Those [American] guys don’t scare you, do they?” Faldo added. “Schauffele is off form right now and it’ll be a brand new experience for Spaun.
“Look what happened to Scottie Scheffler in the last one with Brooks Koepka – was it nine and seven? My goodness, he hardly got your boots dirty for that one.
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Ian Poulter suggests home advantage will be in a major factor in the upcoming 2025 Ryder Cup and expects Team USA to have the upper hand
“He [Scheffler] has a lot to prove. When you’re that top, like Rory in our team, you’re a feather to the other team. You’re very vulnerable, just because you’re the best, the determination to beat their best player makes you a target and it worked in Rome.
“Just because you’re the best, it doesn’t mean you’re automatically going to do it. When you list off their names, no, it doesn’t scare you.”
Listen to the full Sir Nick Faldo and Sam Torrance interviews on the latest edition of the Sky Sports Golf podcast, hosted every week by Jamie Weir. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Spreaker, while vodcast editions can be found on the Sky Sports Golf YouTube channel.