Just when the reports and whispers suggest Ryder Cup captain’s picks are a foregone conclusion, there can always be a surprise around the corner.
All the signs were there to suggest 2025 US captain Keegan Bradley was going to pick himself for the matches at Bethpage, but instead, he chose rookies Cameron Young and Ben Griffin and four other picks.
He snubbed himself, just as he was snubbed by captain Zach Johnson for the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome. What each instance shows is that not making the team when you’re on the cusp is gutwrenching.
Bradley was the latest addition to a long list of players who probably thought they would be chosen but weren’t, and this list includes stars from both Team USA and Team Europe.
Let’s take a look at the most surprising snubs in the history of the Ryder Cup and the captain’s picks that shocked fans and the players the most:
The most memorable Ryder Cup snubs
Lee Janzen in 1995
Lee Janzen won the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in 1995, and then three months later, he won the Kemper Open. He was inside the world’s top 20 players in the lead-up to the 1995 Ryder Cup and was two years after winning the US Open.
He won the Ryder Cup with America in 1993 as well, but US captain Lanny Wadkins didn’t choose him and opted for Fred Couples and Curtis Strange. The suggestion was that Wadkins already had five rookies in the team, and chose experience over Janzen, who had only played in one Ryder Cup.
ALSO: Keegan Bradley’s shock decision papers over the cracks of his absurd Ryder Cup captaincy
Miguel Angel Martin in 1997
This story is remarkable. In 1997, the top 10 players in the European standings automatically qualified. Following the BMW International Open, Miguel Angel Martin was ranked 10th and, in theory, made the team.
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Martin hadn’t played since The Open at Troon in July due to a wrist ligament injury, so he was told he must play 18 holes at the host venue Valderrama, to prove his fitness. He refused and was replaced by Jose Maria Olazabal.
He threatened legal action and accused captain Seve Ballesteros of not wanting him in the team, but Ballesteros distanced himself from the controversy, saying that it was up to the committee.
“It’s the most unfair decision I’ve ever heard of in golf history,” European player and 1997 debutant Ignacio Garrido said.
Darren Clarke in 2008
Darren Clarke was embedded in Ryder Cup history by the time the 2008 Ryder Cup arrived. The Northern Irishman played in the previous five Ryder Cups, and had won twice on the European Tour in this Ryder Cup year as well.
European captain Nick Faldo chose Paul Casey and Ian Poulter instead, which constituted a significant shock.
“Half of the guys have been in touch over the last day to say how disappointed they are for me, and to say how surprised they are that I won’t be going with them. I have to say I was quite surprised myself,” Clarke said to the Guardian at the time.
Paul Casey in 2010
Paul Casey was in the top 10 of the world rankings when European captain Colin Montgomerie didn’t give him a captain’s pick at the 2010 Ryder Cup. In 2006, Casey had won the HSBC World Match Play too.
He came runner-up in the match play and tied for third at The Open Championship in 2010, but instead, Padraig Harrington was a player picked in his place who hadn’t won a tournament for two years (He did win two majors in 2008, though).
Casey was reportedly unpopular among his peers, but this revelation was still a shock. Europe narrowly won 14.5-13.5 in a drenched Monday finish at Celtic Manor in Wales.
Chris Kirk in 2014
Chris Kirk enjoyed the best year of his career on the PGA Tour in 2014, winning the McGladrey Classic early on, then the Deutsche Bank at the very end of the season in September. What didn’t help his cause was finishing 14th in the US Ryder Cup points list when it came to captain Tom Watson making his picks, somewhat distanced from the top 12.
However, Watson opted for Hunter Mahan who, although he won the Barclays at the end of August, was 25th in the US Ryder Cup points list. He also chose Webb Simpson, who was ranked lower than Kirk, too.
America lost at Gleneagles, leading to a memorable inquisition about Watson’s captaincy, largely led by US team member Phil Mickelson.
Russell Knox in 2016
In 2015, Russell Knox won the WGC-HSBC Champions. But this was before he joined the European Tour. He got his membership two weeks later for the 2016 season, but the points from his victory didn’t count, and would’ve seen him gain an automatic spot on Darren Clarke’s side.
Knox won the 2016 Travelers Championship and broke into the world’s top 20. He came 10th on the world points list, and wasn’t chosen. Thomas Pieters, Martin Kaymer, and Lee Westwood made the team as captain’s picks.
Keegan Bradley in 2023
It appeared that US captain Zach Johnson had to choose two players from Sam Burns, Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley, with how the captain’s picks situation transpired ahead of the 2023 Ryder Cup.
He left out Bradley, and the fallout of this selection suggested the Vermont man wasn’t in the ‘in-crowd’, so to speak, and this contributed to Johnson leaving him at home. He was ranked higher than Thomas, Burns and Rickie Fowler in the US points list, but was still left out.
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The call Johnson made to Bradley was caught on the Netflix cameras while they were filming the popular golf docu-series Full Swing. Then in July 2024, Bradley was named as US Ryder Cup captain for the 2025 matches.
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What other Ryder Cup snubs could make this list? Which of these Ryder Cup snubs was the most controversial? Tell us on X!
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