Team USA captain Keegan Bradley revealed his captain's picks for the 2025 Ryder Cup.
The Team USA roster is set for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, and as expected, there was no shortage of drama.
Team USA captain Keegan Bradley admitted he considered naming himself and there was even a point he was going to play. Ultimately, though, he said the six captain's picks -- Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Young, Sam Burns and Ben Griffin -- forced his hand.
Bradley largely did an excellent job picking the best players, but these three players could consider themselves snubs.
Based only on points, no one got worse shake than McNealy. He finished 10th in Ryder Cup points, ahead of Young, Cantlay and Burns. Ultimately, a lack of experience and a skill set better suited for, say, Pebble Beach likely hurt his case. On the experience, that's tough to take considering he'd only be able to gain experience by playing. However, there's an argument to be made that Bradley's picks were all better course fits for Bethpage Black. He's not a bomber and struggles around the green, but his elite putting could have made him a worthwhile pick. McNealy made 20 of 24 cuts this season with seven top-10 finishes, but five of those did come before May.
"Very, very difficult to call Mav," Bradley told reporters in a press conference after his announcement. "Incredible kid, played well all year long. I was very upfront with the guys who haven't made the team. You have to, in most cases, make the team on points in your first team. It's really difficult to get a pick in your first team event."
Maybe a slight stretch here, but it wouldn't have been shocking. Harman might be a better fit for a European Ryder Cup, especially considering his lack of distance is going to be exposed most at American courses, especially one like Bethpage Black. That being said, for as bad as Team USA was at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, they leaned on Harman, who played four of a possible five matches and went 2-2. He also gets a lot of credit for how good he's been in match play, mostly in college. His putting is a big reason for that, but after finishing in the top 40 on Tour in strokes gained putting the previous two seasons, he dipped to 81st this season.
Can you snub yourself when you're the one making the picks? Ultimately, it's probably the right call for Bradley to leave himself off the team. He had a very good season, but this isn't like 2000 Tiger Woods deciding to leave himself off the team to focus on captaining. Bradley finished 11th in points, so he was right on the line. He is a good course fit, finishing 23rd in total driving for the season, but his putting could have been a major liability. He's technically one of the 12 best American golfers in the world right now, but he probably made the wise move leaving himself off the roster -- as tough as that might have been.