It has always been said that golf is a gentleman’s sport and European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald has certainly lent a hand to his American counterpart in case he ends up being a player in his squad at the same time.
After the British Open, Keegan Bradley is currently ranked 10th in the Ryder Cup standings for the United States, so he still has a chance to get into his own team on points. If this were to happen, he would hardly give up the option of being at Bethpage Black (Sept. 26-28) as a player. At 39, he is in great form and could become the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1967.
In the case of Team USA, the top six in points in its rankings after the BMW Championship on August 17 will automatically qualify. The team captain will then make six selections. That is, if Bradley does not get in by points, he could choose himself, although this is less likely. He has recently said that he wanted to be “the best possible captain” and it sounds like he understands what his main responsibility is. However, after winning the Travelers, he commented: “I will play if I feel I will help the team”.
In any case, he has made a request to Luke Donald that makes his final decision much easier. According to Telegraph Sport, Bradley recently asked his European counterpart to include a clause in the captain’s contract that would allow him to appoint one of his vice-captains as acting captain during the sessions in which he competes as a player. In theory, only captains can advise competitors during a match, so Bradley has wanted to tie up all the loose ends just in case. Donald, for his part, has not objected, according to the Telegraph.
Read the full article here
