Keegan Bradley faces Ryder Cup selection dilemma with LIV Golf stars at risk of being overlooked
Newly appointed American Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley is already facing a selection dilemma regarding the inclusion of LIV Golf players in his 12-man squad for the 2025 competition. The 38-year-old, who won the PGA Championship in 2011 and is currently ranked 21st in the world, has been tasked with leading the U.S. team at…
Newly appointed American Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley is already facing a selection dilemma regarding the inclusion of LIV Golf players in his 12-man squad for the 2025 competition. The 38-year-old, who won the PGA Championship in 2011 and is currently ranked 21st in the world, has been tasked with leading the U.S. team at the next Ryder Cup.
Bradley faces a significant challenge in evaluating potential picks from LIV Golf due to his playing commitments. This weekend, for example, he will miss the LIV UK event while competing at the 3M Open in Minnesota. This overlap between his participation in PGA Tour events and LIV Golf tournaments complicates his ability to personally assess the form of LIV players like Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Talor Gooch.
Despite the controversy surrounding LIV Golf, Bradley has expressed his openness to selecting players from the breakaway tour. At his introduction as captain, he emphasized his focus on assembling the best possible team: “I want the 12 best players and I don’t care where they play. We have a mission to win this tournament, I’m not worried about the LIV stuff.”
Bradley’s recent Ryder Cup hype video on social media noticeably omitted highlights of LIV-affiliated golfers, including Bryson DeChambeau, the current US Open champion and two-time Ryder Cup winner. This omission has sparked further discussion about the integration of LIV players into the team.
To aid in his captaincy, Bradley has named Webb Simpson as his vice-captain. Praising Simpson, Bradley said, “Webb is someone who I have long admired and respected as a competitor and friend. Webb will be a valuable member of our leadership team and a trusted resource for me as we prepare for Bethpage Black next September.”
Bradley’s appointment as the 2025 Ryder Cup captain came as a surprise, especially following his dramatic exclusion from the 2023 Ryder Cup team by previous captain Zach Johnson. This exclusion was highlighted in the second season of the Netflix docuseries *Full Swing*. Bradley admitted he was in “complete shock” when he was chosen for the captaincy after Tiger Woods declined the offer due to new responsibilities with the tour. Woods is currently involved in negotiations between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
In 2023, despite selecting LIV golfer Brooks Koepka, Johnson chose not to include DeChambeau. The American team, despite a strong performance by Scottie Scheffler, ultimately lost to Luke Donald’s European team by 16½ to 11½.
The 2025 Ryder Cup will be held at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, next September.
