U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley has emphasized that his priority is assembling the strongest possible team for this September’s Ryder Cup, and his selections will not be influenced by whether players compete on the PGA TOUR or LIV Golf.
Bradley and his vice captains invited a host of players who could be in his potential squad to a team dinner in Philadelphia last week, including to LIV Golf League captains Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.
“We invited Brooks and Bryson, and they were in there on points, and they played on previous teams,” the Team USA skipper said at a news conference ahead of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow on Tuesday.
“It was great to have them there. This Ryder Cup and what comes with this, no one cares about what’s going on in this side PGA Tour-LIV [dispute]. We’re trying to put the best team together. It could mean there’s one LIV guy, two LIV guys, it doesn’t matter.
“We’ll see how this year shakes out. It was really great to have them together with all the guys. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to do that.’’
Players currently in the top 20 positions on the Ryder Cup points standings and players who had taken part in the previous Ryder Cup event in 2023 as well as the 2024 Presidents Cup were invited. Those placed in the top six following the BMW Championship will automatically cement a place on the team and the other six players will be decided by Bradley as his captain’s picks.
Players on the LIV Golf circuit do not earn Ryder Cup points for their performances in LIV Golf events. They can only gain points through their performances at the majors. Koepka is currently placed 91st in the standings and was the only LIV player to have participated in the previous edition of the team event.
“Look, I’ve got to keep playing good golf and, hopefully, I can make it on points alone. That’s the goal,” DeChambeau said. “From everything I heard, [the dinner] was pretty inspirational, and I know the captain is going to be a great leader for the team, whoever he chooses and whoever makes the team. He’s going to do a great job at Bethpage.”
Noticeable absentees from the team dinner include Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Patrick Reed, all of whom did not receive an invitation.
Europe will enter the 2025 Ryder Cup tournament as defending champions after defeating the U.S. team 16.5-11.5 in 2023 but the U.S. team still lead the way overall within 27 victories in their favour compared to the 15 for Europe as well as two draws.