Ryder Cup 2025: Team USA vice-captain Brandt Snedeker on captain’s picks, Keegan Bradley’s role and what to expect from Team Europe | Golf News


Ryder Cup vice-captain Brandt Snedeker insists Team USA “can’t make a bad decision” when selecting the remaining six players to complete their side for Bethpage Black.

The six automatic qualifiers were confirmed after the conclusion of the BMW Championship, with Keegan Bradley – a candidate to become the first playing-captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963 – then naming his captain’s picks on August 27.

Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Harris English, Russell Henley and Bryson DeChambeau are already locked into feature for Team USA, live from September 26-28 on Sky Sports, although plenty remain in the running to be captain’s picks.

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The six automatic qualifiers were confirmed on August 17

Former major champions Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa both narrowly missed out on automatic qualification, while Bradley finished 11th in the standings after winning the Travelers Championship as part of an impressive campaign.

Bradley revealed ahead of the Tour Championship that he was still unsure whether he will select himself, with Snedeker admitting that the backroom team all have different views on who should be named captain’s picks.

“I think Keegan has been great with all his vice-captains,” Snedeker told the Sky Sports Golf podcast. “He wants to say, ‘OK, take me out of the room, who would you want to pick, and let’s all go over from that stand point’.

“Everyone has got a different opinion. We all have some somebody we believe can bring a different value to the team or whatever it may be, then we all kind of sit down and hash it out.

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“At the end of the day, this is Keegan’s team. He has put two years of his life into this. I can’t say how impressed I’ve been about how much work, energy, effort he’s put into it and how open he’s been with us as vice-captains about including us in the process.”

Henley and Spaun will both make Ryder Cup debuts, with Ben Griffin, Maverick McNealy, Andrew Novak, Chris Gotterup and Cameron Young among the others potentially in consideration for rookie appearances in the contest.

Brian Harman, Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay and Wyndham Clark are all past Ryder Cup players who could still earn captain’s picks, with this week’s Tour Championship the last opportunity to impress before Bradley confirms his line-up.

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Sky Sports’ Jamie Weir and Sir Nick Faldo sit down with Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley at The Open and discusses the possibility of being a playing captain

“I don’t feel like we can make a bad decision, but they all bring a little bit something different,” Snedeker added. “So trying to identify what they bring and kind of how they can help our team is something we need to do.

“I think you’re not doing your job if you’re not leaning on everything. On course fit, on statistics, on team fit, on how they’ve been playing and their history.”

Rory McIlroy has been among the players to question whether Bradley can successfully combine the player and captaincy roles at the Ryder Cup, with Snedeker and the American backroom team fully aware of the challenges it could offer.

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Rory McIlroy has confirmed he has no interest in being a Ryder Cup playing captain, but would have considered it 20 years ago

“Anytime you’re delving into waters that haven’t been done since Arnold Palmer did it, you go in with your eyes wide open,” Snedeker explained. “You can’t just think everything’s going to be okay and it’s not going to be a big deal.

“That being said, like, still want your 12 best players out there. A lot of guys have been openly honest about it. Keegan has been open and honest with us about how he’s thinking about it and what he’s going through.

“It has been tough on Keegan. I give him a ton of credit because the way he’s been able to compartmentalise this last year, not many guys could have done. I know I couldn’t have done it the way he’s done it and played the kind of golf he did.”

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Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Wayne Riley believes that Europe are now Ryder Cup favourites amid the debate surrounding whether Keegan Bradley should hold a dual role

Can Team USA continue home Ryder Cup dominance?

Seven of the last eight Ryder Cups have been won by the home team, although Team Europe will arrive in New York with the majority of their 2023 line-up and confident of claiming a historic away success.

“It [winning] is going be tough for a multitude of reasons,” Snedeker said. “One more than anything else is the European team has made no bones about how important this is to them and how important winning an away Ryder Cup is.

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NBA superstar and avid golf fan Steph Curry speaks ahead of the Ryder Cup in New York and discusses his excitement for the tournament

“They’re putting all the pressure, all the bullseye on us as the host team, but they’re putting a lot of pressure on themselves, too. We have to come ready to play, as they’re going to be ready to play. They’re going to be ready to show up and try to accomplish that big goal that hasn’t been done in a long time, so we know what’s in front of us.

“We’re going to be probably the less experienced team, but I’ve seen some great Ryder Cup rookies who don’t know what they’re doing and go out there and play great. Whoever ends up making this team, we’re going to feel super confident about.

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Ian Poulter suggests home advantage will be in a major factor in the upcoming 2025 Ryder Cup and expect Team USA to have the upper hand

“The European team is going to be really strong from top to bottom. They have a bunch of guys who play great over a four-year span. They’re more of a known quantity and we’re going to be more of an unknown quantity.

“That doesn’t mean it’s going to be anything to turn [up] your nose at. We’re excited about that opportunity, because there’s some guys on this team that I think they are starting to realize how good they are – and those guys are scary.”

Listen to the full Brandt Snedeker interview on the latest edition of the Sky Sports Golf podcast, hosted every week by Jamie Weir. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Spreaker, while vodcast editions can be found on the Sky Sports Golf YouTube channel.



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