Keegan Bradley has opened the door for LIV Golf stars such as Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka to earn their way onto his team for the Ryder Cup, but he says it is not a foregone conclusion that he will select players from the breakaway tour.
There is no realistic route for LIV players to qualify as one of the six automatic selections for the Ryder Cup due to LIV not being sanctioned by the Official World Golf Ranking, leaving the majors as their only opportunity to accrue points.
But there is no doubt that reigning U.S. Open champion DeChambeau and five-time major winner Koepka are among the 12 best players in America as Bradley begins his preparations for next year's showdown with Europe at Bethpage Black. Koepka was awarded a captain's pick by Zach Johnson for last year's Ryder Cup in Rome thanks to his stellar performances at the majors, including his victory at the PGA Championship.
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But DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed were forced to watch from home, despite their undeniable talent and previous successes in the Ryder Cup. The Americans were beaten 16.5-11.5 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, with Europe appearing to be a more cohesive squad.
Bradley, however, insists politics will have no impact on his decision-making when building his team next year, but all players will have to prove their worthy of a pick with their form over the next 12 months. He told the Fore Play Podcast he just wants the strongest squad possible.
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"I am of the firm belief that I want the best players on the team and next year at this time, who knows what we're looking at here in terms of LIV and the PGA Tour," he said. "I am in no private conversations and I know nothing [about the proposed merger of LIV and the PGA Tour]. I'm done with trying to figure this out.
"I think I owe it to the team to have the best players on the team. Now that could mean LIV players or it could mean it doesn't. I know there are guys on LIV who are motivated to win the Ryder Cup. I don't know how that's going to shake out, I just want the 12 best players."
Bradley, 38, suffered his own Ryder Cup heartbreak 12 months ago, missing out on selection for Johnson's team despite producing a better season than the likes of Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. But the New England native says he has no plans to change the qualifying criteria.
"You do six and six with the way it is now. If you finish seventh on the list, you should be on the team," he explained. "But then I came to the realization that if I'm choosing the team, if I think seven and eight should be on the team then I can just do that. There's no real point in changing it."
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