Bradley 3 returns to the Tour Championship in the face of Ryder Cup decision
Atlanta – Keegan Bradley has sent golfers free Ryder Cup tickets to Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, where the U.S. and Europe will play next month.
Bradley may play his own Ryder Cup tickets on Sunday as the tournament captain for the Americans in the final round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club.
Bradley made birdies on the last three holes of East Lake on Saturday, posting 63 in the third round with a score of 63, putting him in fourth place, under 13, behind United Captain Patrick Cantlay (64) and Tommy Fleetwood (67).
Russell Henley scored 69 in 3rd under the age of 14, while world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler lurked fifth after posting 66 12 shots.
Bradley described Saturday’s performance as his “best round of the year,” but he wouldn’t say it could affect his decision to use one of six captain choices on himself.
“It’s just a big decision,” Bradley said. “All the draft picks are tough. The captains will judge the captain based on their choice. It’s strange that this is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time and I just want to make sure we’re the right people.”
Scheffler, Henley, U.S. Open champion JJ Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Harris English and Liv Golf League captain Bryson DeChambeau have already qualified for Team USA in terms of points.
Bradley will announce the last six roster spots for the U.S. on Wednesday, and his decision seems increasingly difficult with one round left in the FedEx Cup season.
“I don’t know,” Bradley said. “We’re going to find out tomorrow. I’m going to win or I don’t know, and we’ll know the draft pick. We’re very confident in our picks. There’s still a day of golf that can go through the whole process, and I can’t wait. I’ve done the whole process. I hope to end in any way.”
Cantlay’s strong performance at East Lake may have cemented his position in the Ryder Cup. He hasn’t won the Tour in three years, and he missed the layoffs in three of the four major tournaments this season. (He tied for 36th in the Masters.) He ranked 15th in the Ryder Cup points this week.
Cantlay was a highlight for Team USA in a 16½-11½ loss in the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club outside Rome. His game has been 5-2-1 in the last two Ryder Cups.
“It’s always a pleasure to be great at the end of the year,” Canterley said. “But like I said, I’m focusing on 100% this week and we’ll worry about the Ryder Cup later.”
Cantlay recently started working with putting coaches for the first time and his new partnership with Phil Kenyon has paid off. Cantlay leads the 30-man stroke: nearly 5.88, ranking fifth in putters (3.05).
“I’ve been doing a lot of work, so it’s nice to see some of the work start to pay off,” Cantlay said.
Although the FedEx Cup and $10 million made it to the game among Sunday’s winners, there could also be Ryder Cup consequences.
Other golfers who compete for Bradley draft picks have performed well in East Lake so far. Cameron Young (71) ranked sixth in 10th, followed by Ben Griffin (68) and Sam Burns (68), who were ranked seventh. Justin Thomas (69) tied for tenth under the age of 8.
Collin Morikawa (70) and Maverick McNealy (69) ranked 16th below sixth.
“It’s very strange to think about making a draft pick and then consider picking yourself,” Bradley said. “It’s ridiculous. Sometimes it doesn’t seem to be reality.
“But we will try our best to make the right decision, which is controversial for some people. I’m ready for it. I’m confident that the decision I made is to improve the team and we’ll see.”
The Ryder Cup has not competed since Arnold Palmer led the Americans to 23-9 in 1963.
Bradley saw Palmer’s Ryder Cup bags and other souvenirs at the clubhouse in East Lake when he signed up for the Tour Championship. Palmer died in 2016 at the age of 87.
“It’s really surreal to watch it,” Bradley said. “I wish he was alive and I could call him. If I had one thing, I wish I could call Arnold and talk to him because I think he would have some good advice for me.”
