Phil Mickelson makes his feelings clear on $3.6M win as problem arises
Phil Mickelson had a five-word message after Keegan Bradley’s thrilling victory at the Travelers Championship, putting the Team USA captain in the frame to play in the Ryder Cup
Phil Mickelson was quick to heap praise on Keegan Bradley after the U.S. Ryder Cup captain pulled off a stunning victory at the Travelers Championship on Sunday.
Bradley trailed Tommy Fleetwood by one shot at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut walking up the last, but he struck a beautiful approach to put the pressure on the leader. The Englishman wilted, coming up short with his wedge shot to leave his ball on the fringe of the green.
From there, he three-putted for bogey, and Bradley duly knocked home his six-footer to clinch a memorable victory in his native New England – banking a handsome $3.6 million in prize money in the process. The delighted crowd chanted “USA” on repeat in what promises to be a significant moment in the build-up to the Ryder Cup at Bethpage in September.
LIV Golf star Mickelson took to social media to join the tributes to Bradley’s performance. The six-time major champion posted: “Keegan Bradley is THE MAN!!”
Bradley was a shock pick when he was named the Ryder Cup captain for Bethpage. The 39-year-old remains among the game’s best players and his victory on Sunday lifted him to a career-best seventh in the world rankings.
The 2011 PGA champion is ninth in the U.S. qualification standings, and is hard to argue that he is not among the 12 best players heading into the battle with Europe in New York.
Conventional wisdom, though, is that the task of being a playing captain is too much of a burden to shoulder. No one has fulfilled the role since Arnold Palmer in 1962.
Bradley made it clear on Sunday that he’s not planning to give up his role as Ryder Cup captain. At the same time, he admitted there’s now a real chance he might play too.
“We’re still in June, so there’s a lot of time left,” he said. “But this definitely changes things a bit. It opens the door for me to play. I’m not sure if I will, but I need to seriously think about what’s best for the team.”
Bradley admitted this is the first year he hasn’t been focused on making the team as a player. He had accepted just being the captain — and now, ironically, this situation has come up.
Speaking later with Golf Channel, Bradley said he would consider playing if he believed it would benefit the team. But he emphasized that even if he plays, he’s not stepping down as captain. Instead, he would lean more on his vice captains — Webb Simpson, Jim Furyk, Brandt Snedeker, and Kevin Kisner — to help share the load.
Right now, it’s looking more likely that Bradley will be one of the 12 players trying to win the trophy back from Luke Donald’s European team. Still, history shows that trying to juggle being both a player and a captain can be a risky move.
