Keegan Bradley has reiterated that he is more than open to including players from LIV Golf in his United States Ryder Cup team ahead of next year's event at Bethpage Black.
Bradley will lead Team USA in New York in a bid to win back the title Zach Johnson and co lost to their European rivals in Italy last fall. The selection of the 2023 team was one of the most highly anticipated in Team USA's history, amid the split between the PGA Tour and LIV.
A whole host of players who helped the U.S. win the 2021 crown at Whistling Straits opted to make the Saudi switch, with Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Bryson DeChambeau leaving the PGA Tour behind.
And whilst this did not see them officially lose eligibility to compete, just one member of the breakaway league was called up by Johnson in Koepka, having won the PGA Championship four months earlier. It appears their only way in however will be as a captain's pick.
As things stand, half of the American team is made up of the top six players in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings. This will prove a problem for Koepka and co, however, with points only handed out across PGA Tour events, a circuit they of course remain banned from.
They will have the slim opportunity to stake their claim in the four majors, but will no doubt be up against it amid their PGA Tour snub. Despite the Tour-bias qualification status, Bradley is open to having players in his team who compete across both circuits, as long as it leads to him having his strongest 12 players.
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"I'm going to have the best 12 players, so the PGA of America... we're going to have the 12 best players, so they need to figure that out, if that's their problem,” he said after his victory in Colorado. "I know you have to be a PGA (of America) member to play in the Ryder Cup.
"That's the only stipulation that you need. So we'll make sure if some of those guys that we think might make the team, we'll make sure that they are a member.” Despite the LIV snub, Bradley admitted he has no issues with the system. "I don't see there being any big tweaks,” he said.
"The only weird area is the LIV guys, what they do, and where they fall on the list. We're going to have to really get with the captains, get with the team that's going to be there, and figure that out. But I think the system works." This is not the first time Bradley has claimed he has no plans to turn his nose up at the Saudi-backed league.
"I want the 12 best players and I don't care where they play," the seven-time PGA Tour winner claimed following his appointment last month. "As it comes to going to LIV events, if there's guys that are going to be on the fringe, I'm willing to do that."
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