The ball is in Keegan Bradley’s court. He can make history by becoming the first playing captain for Team U.S. since the late Arnold Palmer. He tried his best to make it into the squad on merit. Unfortunately, a top-six finish was a bit out of his reach. As Bradley sits at 11th on the Ryder Cup leaderboard, he has one critical decision to make: should he go in as the playing captain at Bethpage? Former Ryder Cup vice captain, Stewart Cink, believes that he should definitely play in New York, but under one condition.

Cink joined the SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio to discuss the possibility of seeing Bradley as a playing captain. Showing strong support for Keegan’s ability at Bethpage, Cink said, “I think Keegan’s one of the top 12 Americans in golf. I think he should be on the team.” The 39-year-old’s recent record, especially his win at TPC River Highlands, has left a strong impression on everyone. Bradley’s comeback on the 18th hole in the 2025 Travelers Championship showed his amazing fighting spirit and undying will to perform on the course.

However, Stewart believes that Bradley will need to make a tough decision before he decides to step on the field. He added, “I also think he would probably be best served, and the team would be the best, if he lets someone else take over the captain’s duties for the week. Just my opinion. It would be hard to do both. It’s just a lot. I was only an assistant captain for one Ryder Cup, and I saw Zach, what he went through in Italy. And it’s just a lot on your plate. And never mind playing in a tournament. That’s a lot too. It’s just too much for one person to expect to do both.”

Despite only going in as the captain, Zach Johnson’s decision-making in the 2023 Ryder Cup cost Team U.S. dearly. They wouldn’t want Keegan Bradley to be in a similar situation if he were too confused to decide what to do as a player and a captain. The dilemma of prioritizing one role over another might create a lot of complications, which Team U.S. can’t afford against a strong European side.

Interestingly, Stewart is not the only one who believes that the responsibilities of being a playing captain might be too overwhelming for Keegan. Rory McIlroy had also mentioned how it’s impossible to manage both roles in this day and age. The Irishman’s suggestion received some support from Drew Stoltz, who said, “Just play. Defer the captaincy to someone else. Because it takes your mind off of the playing if you’ve got to make some decisions on being a captain, too.” Fortunately for Bradley, Cink expressed how he can work around the situation.

“Keegan’s got some capable assistants. He’s a capable player. He certainly would be welcomed and a deserving member of the team if he decided to play. I hope he does. I think it will be a great story. It will be fun to watch him step down and go out there and lace them up and play,” Cink said. With experienced candidates like Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner, Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker, and Gary Woodland under him, Bradley won’t need to worry about who makes the critical decisions on the team.

Furyk has been on the helm once before in a losing effort for Team U.S. in 2018, and the others have ample experience throughout their career. Interestingly, Stewart Cink is not the only one who has shared his brutally honest thoughts. With the big reveal getting closer by the day, more and more players and experts are showing support for Keegan Bradley to go to Bethpage as a playing captain.

Keegan Bradley’s form has won him support for the playing-captain role

The narrative of Keegan Bradley being the playing captain has been floating around ever since he was picked as the captain for Team U.S. Many opposed the idea earlier, stating that it would just be too much of a responsibility for one man to manage. However, his recent form has changed many views as his peers have dropped in to show support for him. Billy Horschel said, “I hope he does pick himself if he’s close enough to make it on points because… he deserves to be on that team.” After not making the team in 2023, Bradley certainly deserves to play at Bethpage this year.

His remarkable form even got Bryson DeChambeau pumped up about playing alongside him. The LIV Golf pro mentioned that he would also like to join with Bradley in the team matches: “I think that’d be pretty electric. But we’d have to do what’s best for the team. If our game’s fit, if the golf ball’s fit, then we’ll do some damage.” 

After facing defeat against him at the 2025 Travelers Championship, Tommy Fleetwood was also gracious enough to admit, “I think it’s going to be an amazing time for him either way, and whatever happens, I hope he — I just wish him the best and look forward to playing against him.” regarding Keegan Bradley’s decision to join as the playing captain at Bethpage.

With so many of his peers rooting for him to play in the Ryder Cup, his role as the captain might be limited to the decisions he takes before the tournament begins.