Keegan Bradley has a serious responsibility ahead of him. The famous golfer is aware that his decision to pick six players will invite criticism, no matter who he chooses.
However, he is still aware that if he picks himself as a player, it will further heat up the atmosphere and cause mixed reactions.
The captain of the US team wants to have the strongest team at this year's Ryder Cup edition.
Bradley admitted to reporters after the third round of the Tour Championship that this was also the most difficult decision in his life.
Talking about the reasons why this is the most difficult decision, he pointed out that he primarily wants to have the best team at his disposal.
Bradley referred to 1963 when Arnold Palmer was the player-captain, however, it's been 62 years since then and we still haven't seen the player-captain again in this tournament.
"Well, I think — well, it's difficult because I want to put the team in the best position to win the Ryder Cup. So there's sort of an unknown of — Arnold Palmer did it in 1963, but it's a totally different tournament now.
It's just a heavy decision. All the picks are tough. Captain is going to be judged on who they pick. Pretty strange thing to pick yourself.
It's something that I've been thinking about for a long time, and I just want to make sure we make the right one.."- he said.
Responsibility
The captain of the American team is aware that he is in a thankless position.
Given that he will eventually have to take a dive as a player, he is aware that for many it will be a decision that will not cause the best reactions.
However, if you want to celebrate against a European team that has a strong roster, it is crucial to have the best players available, even if you think that you are the player who can help your team.
The famous golfer admitted that he is prepared for various scenarios and various reactions from the public.
Being the captain of the American team implies that you will be criticized at some point.
"I think it makes it a little harder, yeah. Yeah, it's a really strange thing to kind of ponder making the picks and then thinking about picking yourself. It's ridiculous. It doesn't seem like reality sometimes.
But we're going to do the best we can to make the right decision, and it's going to be controversial to certain people either way. I'm prepared for that.
I am confident whichever decision I make, it's for the betterment of the team, and we'll see.."
