US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley stressed his commitment to the PGA Tour as he admitted he still roots for his pals on LIV Golf.
The Florida native, who has been a fixture on the PGA Tour since his breakout 2011 season, is gearing up for his leadership role at the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. With the event looming in September, he faces tough choices regarding team selection amid tensions between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
However, he has expressed support for his friends on the Saudi-backed tour and insists he holds no ill feeling towards them. “No, I’m a PGA Tour player,” Bradley said on the Subpar podcast when quizzed about a potential switch to LIV. “I like where I’m at, but I have a lot of really close friends on LIV, and LIV has been interesting for all of us.
“But I’m really happy that the guys that left are making a nice living, providing for their families. I have no ill will towards any of them, and I root for them every week.”
Tour rookie Akshay Bhatia, who appeared alongside Bradley, also plans to stay loyal to the PGA Tour. Speaking at the RBC Heritage, he said: “I would say I don’t have any plans to leave. I’ve dreamed about playing on the PGA Tour, and I definitely love the grind of trying to just hash it out, out here.
“Whether that’s making a cut or trying to get a good finish. I’ve played with so many of my idols already, so I have no plans [to leave]. I love events like these at Hilton Head.
“It [the RBC Heritage] is such an iconic event, iconic golf course. It’s got a really good feel for us. So, I enjoy the kind of traditional golf a little more.”
While six players will automatically qualify for Bradley’s team, the other six will be wildcard selections. Currently in line for automatic selection are Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas and Russell Henley, plus reigning US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau of LIV Golf.
He could potentially include LIV stars like Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed or Dustin Johnson among the remaining six wildcards. Seemingly indifferent to their tour affiliations, Bradley plans to choose his team based solely on merit and performance.
He added: “For us, I am going to take the 12 best players. If we feel like there are a few guys there (LIV), from one guy, two guys, whatever it is.
“Then we are going to do that, but we are too far out to figure out how all this will play out, but we are definitely going to take the 12 best players, whoever that shakes out.”
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