At 38 years old, the PGA Tour golfer will be the youngest Ryder Cup captain since Arnold Palmer led the USA into the 1963 competition at the age of 34. On Tuesday, Bradley confirmed that he plans to qualify as a player for the competition while also managing the 12-player team.

“I’m going to have a year of being with the guys as a peer. And one thing that is important to me is I want to play on the team,” Bradley stated.

He added: “I feel as though I’m still in the prime of my career and can make this team. It’s a great honour that my peers chose me to do this, and, you know, I don’t have the experience that a lot of the other captains had, but I know these guys really well.”

Currently ranked world No. 19, Bradley is aiming to earn his place in the team based on merit. He narrowly missed out on the points race last year and was not chosen as a captain’s pick by his predecessor Zach Johnson.

However, Bradley made it clear that if he does not qualify on merit, he will not select himself as a captain’s pick.

“I’m not going to pick myself,” he declared. “The only way that would happen is if the team was insisting on it, but even then I don’t see that happening. I want to make the team on points, otherwise I’m going to be the captain.”

The Ryder Cup captaincy has traditionally been a role for professional golfers, with J. H. Taylor in 1933 being the only captain for either the American or European team who hadn’t previously played in the Cup. However, as golf’s profile has grown, these ambassadors have been tasked with more administrative duties, such as scheduling practices, choosing uniforms, making media appearances and pairing players for foursomes.Palmer was the last golfer to captain and play for Team US ( Image: Getty Images)

This led to Arnold Palmer becoming the last American to both act as captain and play in the tournament in 1963 – Tiger Woods, who was the PGA’s first choice for 2025, did double duty during the 2019 President’s Cup. Keegan Bradley’s passion for the tournament and willingness to take on more responsibility played a significant part in his selection.

“I am proud and excited to name Keegan Bradley as Captain of the 2025 United States Ryder Cup Team,” said John Lindert, PGA Director of Golf at The Country Club of Lansing. “Keegan’s past Ryder Cup experience, strong relationships and unwavering passion for this event will prove invaluable as he guides the U.S. Team over the next year and a half.”

“We are confident that with Keegan at the helm, the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup Team will compete at Bethpage with the same confidence and determination that has defined his career.”

Bradley, a two-time Ryder Cup veteran for Team USA in 2012 and 2014, ended with a 4-2 record across these tournaments. He partnered twice with golfing legend Phil Mickelson, but the Americans were defeated both times.

Despite being on track to secure another chance last year, climbing the Ryder Cup rankings and finishing 11th overall, Bradley was harshly overlooked when captain Johnson chose Justin Thomas instead. Speaking on the Netflix show “Full Swing”, Bradley admitted: “The reality for me is, I don’t have this connection to that group that a lot of guys have, so I know I have to go play well to get on this team.”