Keegan Bradley described himself as an “outsider” after missing out on a Ryder Cup pick.
US vice-captain Fred Couples added credence to this statement when explaining why Zach Johnson overlooked Bradley as one of his six Captain’s picks.
Couples suggested the picks were made with partnerships in mind on his SiriusXM PGA Tour show, and this contributed to Bradley being overlooked.
“There’s no ‘outside’,” he said. “I saw Keegan Bradley’s statement. I left him off the team (as 2011 Presidents Cup captain) when he won a PGA. It’s the harshest thing you can do to a guy.
“I feel like it’s the players’ team, but you can’t have guys telling the captain ‘Here’s who I want, should be on it,’ unless you’re a Jordan Spieth or a Scottie Scheffler, or a Cantlay.”
“Now they’re picking other guys that may not have the record of Keegan, but they pair them up perfectly,” Couples added.
“I like Keegan. He’s an older guy, and he’s not in tight with them. If that had 20 per cent to do with it, I won’t argue that.”
Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler and Brooks Koepka were chosen by Johnson, while the other picks of Justin Thomas and Sam Burns were perhaps spots for debate.
Bradley’s snub from the US side heading to Rome has been a point of contention as the 2011 PGA Champion won twice on the PGA Tour this season.
He won the ZOZO Championship last October before claiming the Travelers Championship in June. He also came second at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Bradley last played in the Ryder Cup in 2014 at Gleneagles, two years after making his debut at Medinah. In a post on X, the 37-year-old vowed not to open his 2012 Ryder Cup bag until he wins the event.
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Cameron Young wasn’t chosen despite finishing the season in 9th on the Team USA Ryder Cup standings.
He also finished runner-up at the WGC Match Play, while Couples himself had said earlier in the year that Young “would be in Italy”.
What do you make of this Fred Couples Ryder Cup admission? Who would you have left out? Let us know with a post on X!
