Suddenly, it feels like U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley is on the clock and the good news for him is at least half of the expected American team finished in the top 10 at the Open Championship.
With only four events remaining before the six automatic qualifiers for Bradley’s squad at Bethpage Black are locked in after the BMW Championship in three weeks, the numbers game will soon give way to analytics and gut instinct when it comes time to fill out the roster for what may be the loudest Ryder Cup in history.
At the moment, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, J.J. Spaun, Russell Henley, Bryson DeChambeau and Harris English are the top six in the U.S. standings. Five of them had top-10s at Royal Portrush as did Brian Harman, who may have solidified a pick down the line.
Bradley went so far as to confirm DeChambeau’s participation in a text to Sports Illustrated Sunday evening in Northern Ireland, likely because DeChambeau has no access to gaining more points as an LIV Golf competitor and could fall out of the top six. By letting the word out, Bradley stifled any potential speculation.
DeChambeau, who will stoke the crowd like a red, white and blue ringmaster, hinted as much after shooting his Sunday 64 at Royal Portrush, telling reporters that Bradley had left personalized inspirational messages in the lockers of some players.
Bryson being Bryson, he was already waving the flag from across the Atlantic.
“I hope I can bring a lot of energy and a tsunami of a crowd that’s going to be rooting for Team USA,” DeChambeau said Sunday.
Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa are seventh and eighth, respectively, and both figure to be on the team though Morikawa missed the cut in both the Genesis Scottish Open and the Open Championship, raising more questions about the state of his game. His best finish since the Players Championship is a T8 against a weak field at the Rocket Classic.
One or both of those players could move into the top six by the time the BMW Championship at Caves Valley is complete.
From there, it gets complicated.
Ben Griffin, Bradley, Maverick McNealy and Harman fill out the top 12 at the moment. The next four out, in order, are Andrew Novak, Patrick Cantlay, Sam Burns and Wyndham Clark.
“Nothing about picking whoever it is is going to be easy, but if I get to that position and I feel like I’m going to help the team, then I’ll consider playing. But I really get asked that question 10 times a day, and I don’t really have an answer.” – Keegan Bradley
Before getting to the Bradley question, let’s consider those around him on the list.
Griffin has two wins this year (admittedly one with Novak as his partner) and has been one of the tour’s most consistent performers. It feels like he will make the team but he could make sure of it with a big start to the FedEx Cup playoffs.
McNealy is a good putter but he did not have a top-20 finish in any of the four majors and, like Griffin, he has no Ryder Cup experience.
Harman is a gamer and his tenacity makes him a logical pick. He can play with anyone and he won’t rattle. That doesn’t mean he will be the best player at Bethpage but leaving him off wouldn’t be a good idea.
Novak made his points early in the year and will be a surprise if Bradley picks him. Cantlay is a tough one because he hasn’t had a particularly good year and he’s not the warm and fuzzy type but he does have a 5-2-1 Ryder Cup record. Cantlay also seems to have a knack for getting under the Europeans’ skin.
Burns would get the nod over Clark, whose recent temper issues would make him a tough sell in some corners, but both still have the chance to force Bradley’s hand.
The flavor of the week is Chris Gotterup, who won the Genesis Scottish Open then finished third at Royal Portrush, to substantially raise his profile. When he’s good, he tends to be very good but he’s also missed nine cuts this year and remains a long-shot at best.
More likely might be Lucas Glover, who got passed over two years ago. He would be great in the team room and his ball-striking would work beautifully in both foursomes and four-balls. He’s still not a great putter (neither are Viktor Hovland and Rasmus Højgaard on the European side) but Glover could go a long way with his intangibles.
It’s intangibles that would get Jordan Spieth’s name called but he probably needs to win a tournament in the next month to make the team. He’s had a strange year – coming back from wrist surgery then a random neck/upper back issue at the Travelers sidelined him for a while – and though he keeps insisting he’s close to a breakthrough, he’s running out of time.
Brooks Koepka hasn’t given Bradley a reason to pick him and Patrick Reed would bring too much baggage.
Which brings us back to Bradley and his situation. He is the captain and said he works on Ryder Cup-related things every day. Bradley and his vice captains (Jim Furyk, Webb Simpson, Kevin Kisner, Brandt Snedeker and Gary Woodland) text almost daily and the time will come when he and others must decide if he will be a playing captain.
That time isn’t here yet.
“Nothing about picking whoever it is is going to be easy, but if I get to that position and I feel like I’m going to help the team, then I’ll consider playing. But I really get asked that question 10 times a day, and I don’t really have an answer,” Bradley said last week.
“I want to obviously wait until the time comes to pick the players and see how I’m doing, and if there’s somebody that is playing great that can take my spot, I’ll be thrilled for that. I just want to put the best team on the course at Bethpage.”
The clock is ticking.