Would Keegan Bradley (Himself) Have Been a Better Ryder Cup Pick?

As soon as Keegan Bradley was named U.S. Ryder Cup captain for 2025 at Bethpage Black (New York), the question started buzzing: would he pick himself?

Now that the roster is set, we know he didn’t.

But it’s still fair (and fun) to ask: would Keegan Bradley the player have been a better choice than some of the bubble names who made the team, like Sam Burns or Collin Morikawa?

Embed from Getty Images

Keegan in 2025: the case for a “playing captain”

Bradley’s brand is tailor-made for match play: aggressive with the irons, emotionally engaged, and never afraid of a pressure moment.

In 2025 he’s been steady enough week-to-week to stay in every conversation, and his putting—long the swing vote in his profile—has looked more confident over the last year.

Embed from Getty Images

Add in the Bethpage factor: loud New York crowd, thick rough, long par-4s, and a premium on approach play. That’s a recipe that suits Keegan’s ball-striking DNA and his ability to feed off energy.

If you’re building a roster for a street fight at Bethpage, his “spark plug” profile fits.

Sam Burns: the putter and pairing chemistry

Burns brings something every captain covets at Bethpage: made putts. He’s known for rolling his rock, and in a Ryder Cup that often comes down to 6–10 footers, that skill travels.

Embed from Getty Images

There’s also the chemistry card—Burns is comfortable alongside the top Americans and gives the room flexibility for pairings (including with close friends he regularly practices and pairs with in team settings).

The counterpoint is consistency. Burns can be streaky: when the putter runs hot he’s a world-beater; when it cools, his tee-to-green can leave him more work than you want in foursomes.

Compared directly to Keegan, you’re trading a touch of steady ball-striking firepower for the chance that Burns’ putter steals sessions.

Collin Morikawa: the iron clinic you take to Bethpage

When Morikawa is right, he’s a laser show. Few players flight short- and mid-irons like Collin, and Bethpage’s approach demands make that incredibly valuable.

He’s also proven he can be a point-scorer in team formats, and his calm, clinical style plays beautifully in foursomes.

Embed from Getty Images

The knock, if you’re nitpicking, is that his form can ebb and flow—he doesn’t always bring the same ceiling every month. Still, it’s hard to argue against an elite iron player on a course that rewards exactly that.

Versus Bradley, Morikawa offers a higher technical ceiling with the irons; Keegan counters with edge and emotion in a raucous environment.

So…would Keegan have been the better pick?

If Bradley had taken a slot, it wouldn’t have been outlandish—especially at Bethpage. You’d be banking on his streak of reliable approach play, improved confidence on the greens, and the intangible lift he gets from big-crowd energy.

Against Burns, Keegan offers a steadier tee-to-green floor but gives up some “heater” upside with the putter.

Against Morikawa, Keegan offers more emotion and momentum-swing potential; Morikawa brings the purest approach numbers and the kind of fairway-to-flag precision that flips holes fast.

In the end, captaincy is about fit—balancing pairings, styles, and personalities over three days. Bradley clearly prioritized locker-room dynamics and role clarity over writing himself into history as the first U.S. playing captain since Arnie.

Embed from Getty Images

Was that the right call? Very possibly. But if the U.S. ends up in a rock fight on those long par-4s with the crowd roaring, it’s easy to imagine how Bradley the player could’ve thrived right alongside the guys he chose.