by Keegan Bradley seems to be the first player captain in the Ryder Cup for more than 60 years after the opposite number of Luke Donald had approved a decisive change of rule.
One of Bradley’s biggest concerns about the execution of the double role in New York in September was that his team had disadvantageous when it came to dealing with the help of advice.
Advertising
The previously “Captains” agreement said beforehand that only the skipper can speak to players when a game is underway. Communication can be of crucial importance, for example, if you have informed the professionals on close closer to which club took your teammates beforehand.
Of course, the contact can also be useful for motivational purposes. As part of the existing agreement, the Americans could be denied this help if Bradley himself played.
Still Telegraph sport Has discovered that the 39-year-old Bradley went to Donald to ask him to insert a clause into the “rarely changed” agreement with which he can name a vice captain who can act as a de facto captain when Bradley plays in a certain session.
“Keegan can only change the overarching contract with the consent of Luke and Ryder Cup Europe,” said one source. “The contract between the teams includes things like the number of vice captains that a team can have, etc., which is used year to year, and the captains rarely change this. But Keegan went to Luke and Lukas generously. We do not want bad blood between the storage.”
Advertising
A cynical point of view will be that the Europa Bradley team is not averse to the Arnold Palmer from 1963 because they believe that the workstation does not work and more problems than benefits. At the Scottish Open two weeks ago, Rory Mcilroy emphasized that this could be the case with Bethpage Black, where Europe will try to be the first away side that will be on foreign soil in 13 years and only the second in 21 years.
“It really feels like it is a team in America, and obviously we have our contribution as a player in the European team, but we have this a figurehead in Lukas,” he said. “I think that’s important. I even think back to Rome when the Americans have a pretty hard start, I think because Zach [Johnson, the 2023 US captain] gave the team so much property that they had no one to look at it.
“They looked at each other instead of having a focus -” tell us what to do “. This is something that Europe did very, very well. But the players also allowed the captain to be a captain too.”
It must be assumed that Jim Furyk, who was the captain of America in Paris in 2018, will play into the temporary role. After Bradley had reached 30th place in the Open in Royal Portrush on Sunday, he is automatically in the US -Ryder Cup rating 10. And the best six qualifications in four weeks. But it is the seventh place in the world rankings and is clearly among the best US players.
Advertising
A number of key players in the United States are fighting for shape
Bradley has already announced that he will choose “if it helps the team”, and despite the country’s fine performance at Royal Portrush – they had the top three, with Scottie Scheffler won and Harris English and Chris Gotterup filled the other places on the podium – his references have only strengthened.
Fighting too many of his experienced actors. The world No. 6 Collin Morikawa missed cuts at the Scottish Open and the Open and Bradley are desperately desperate in the first two Fedex Cup events after the end of the qualification on August 17. There are some fine debutants who are ready in JJ Spaune, Russell Henley and Ben Griffin, but Bradley will have his limit against the first timers.
A player who will definitely be in Bradley’s rows is Liv Rebel Bryson Decimbeau, regardless of whether he is getting out of the leading half. After an end round 64, he took the 10th place in Portrush and Bradley broke the convent by giving the big hitter nod.
The two -time Major Champion Collin Morikawa missed the cut outdoors and continued to look out of Art – Getty Images/Christian Petersen
“Bryson will be a very important piece for us to win the Ryder Cup,” Bradley told Si.com. “He brings so much. He brings energy, passion, but above all he is one of the best players in the world.”
Advertising
Decimbeau spoke only briefly in Northern Ireland with Bradley, but revealed that he was touched by a note that Bradley left in her lockers for him and other potential Ryder Cup players. He would not reveal his content, but would describe it as “inspiring”.
“It meant a lot,” said Dechambeau. “This year’s no joke. We are tired. We are tired of losing.”
Since then, Bradley’s news has come to a photo of one of the most controversial moments in the history of the trophy when the team, vice captains and wives entered the 17th green into Broocline after Justin Leonard hid a final long putt in the 141/2-131/2 Comeback win. Europe accused the party of stamping about Jose Maria Olazabal’s putt. Bradley looked into the rough scene, was 13 years old and took part in his first Ryder Cup.
“It was a very important moment in our history of the USA Ryder Cup,” said Bradley. “That changed my life forever. I wanted to show the boy that they would be. And they can have a big impact on people with what they do with Bethpage.”
Advertising
In contrast to Bradley, Donald’s selection seem to be much more obvious. He also has six captain picks. The top six will still record it (Rory Mcilroy, Bob Macintyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka), while the next four in the overall ranking also appear (Rasmus Hojgaard, Justin Rose, Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland).
The other berths would be filled by Jon Rahm and Matt Fitzpatrick, the Englishman who has broken back with two four places in the past two weeks.
There is no doubt that America dominated the last major of the season – they have eight in the top 13 – but as bizarre it sounded, maybe Donald had actually been much less headache than his counterpart.
