The 2025 Ryder Cup just became more interesting.
By virtue of his win in the Travelers Championship, U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley (Srixon Z-Star) just put himself into serious conversation to be a player on the team.
Bradley was snubbed two years ago for the 2023 Ryder Cup, and his disappointment was captured in Season 2 of Nextflix’s Full Swing.
It became a running thread when Bradley was announced as Captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup.
And now it will be a topic of discussion when Bradley ultimately decides which players will represent the U.S. in the 2027 Ryder Cup in Limerick, Ireland in September.
By virtue of his win in the Travelers Championship, his second time in three years, he vaults up to number nine in the U.S. team rankings.
And it begs the question of whether Bradley will automatically qualify if he finishes in the top six or he is one of the Captain’s six selections. In other words, will he choose himself for the team?
When asked about it on CBS following his win in the Travelers, Bradley said: “Go USA.”
It would seem to be almost a given that Bradley will be a member of the team and, possibly, the first playing Captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963. Or, as Adam Schupak of Golfweek speculated, he could step down as Captain.
Either way, Bradley has once again stepped into the spotlight as he continues his renaissance that began late in 2022, winning the ZOZO Championship and underlined it 10 months later in the Travelers. After winning his first major in 2012 with the PGA Championship and being named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, he followed that up a year later winning the BMW Championship. But he would go winless for the next six years and then take four years to win again – a stretch of only two wins in 10 years. He has now won a tournament each year between 2022-2025.
By the way, am I the only one who finds it curious watching Bradley do knee bends before swinging? It is one of the more interesting mechanics of his game, including the AimPoint green reading, and it certainly works for him. I saw a YouTube Tips clip online of someone breaking down his swing and it was noted Bradley was a good skier growing up, which explains his pronounced knee bend and why he needs more of an active lower body.
FLEETWOOD’S STREAK CONTINUES: Speaking of the Ryder Cup, Tommy Fleetwood (TaylorMade TP5x) will surely be a member of Team Europe, though you have to wonder when he will win a PGA tournament. He frittered away a chance to win the Travelers with errant putting on the final few holes and finished tied with Russell Henley (Titleist Pro V1x) for second. The Brit has been runnerup on the PGA Tour six times in 159 starts.
Fleetwood’s undoing in the Travelers was his putting, which was Bradley’s strength in the final round. Fleetwood bogeyed the final hole missing a six-foot putt, allowing Bradley a chance to win with a birdie of about the same length and the same line.
It underlined the golf maxim you drive for show and putt for dough.
RORY ANSWERS BACK: With all the talk Rory McIlroy (TaylorMade TP5x) had fallen into a funk after winning the Masters, he fired a five-under in the final round of the Travelers to finish tied for sixth with Scottie Scheffler (Titleist Pro V1), who carded a similar score on the final 18 holes.
There’s still plenty of tournaments to be played, including the Open and Tour Championship, to determine who will be the PGA Tour Player of the Year. You know McIlroy will be pumped to play in the Open, which takes place at Royal Portrush in his native Northern Ireland.
THE NEW PGA BOSS: Brian Rolapp, who worked for the National Football League for more than 20 years, has been named PGA TOUR CEO. Commissioner Jay Monahan will remain with the Tour through 2026.
While the PGA Tour is thriving, Rolapp will need to find a way to move it upward, which means seeing if there can be a way to end the divide between the PGA and LIV Golf. The other concern is finding a way to replace the aging Tiger Woods (Bridgestone Tour B X), whose best days are behind him, along with his relevance as a competitor. McIlroy has become the face of the PGA Tour but does not have the profile of Woods.
LEE WINS SECOND MAJOR: It came down to a survival against the windy conditions, but Minjee Lee (Callaway Chrome Tour X) managed to win the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship to record her third career. Though she shot two-over par, she won by three strokes.
