Former Solheim Cup captain Suzann Pettersen has warned Keegan Bradley that she would “definitely not recommend” him splitting his captaincy role with playing in this year’s Ryder Cup.
Bradley moved to world No 7 after his dramatic Travelers Championship victory on Sunday, his eighth PGA Tour title and third in as many seasons, with the win also lifting him to ninth in the qualification standings for Team USA’s Ryder Cup team.
The 39-year-old admitted his victory increases the possibility of him becoming the first playing captain at a Ryder Cup since Arnold Palmer in 1963, although Pettersen – Team Europe’s captain for the previous two Solheim Cups – has questioned whether it would work.
Bradley celebrates his Travelers Championship success
“It’s a very tough task of being a captain and playing at the same time,” Pettersen told the Sky Sports Golf podcast. “If you ask me – and especially being a captain at home – it’s going to be an enormous amount of pressure on Keegan Bradley coming up.
“I would say either you dedicate yourself to being the best captain possible or you go play. I know back in the day, I think Arnie [Arnold Palmer] was the last player that kind of captained and played, but I think time has changed a little bit as well. I don’t see that being possible.
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“He has got some good vice-captains who could potentially take that role, but that kind of takes the fun away from him as well of being a captain. I would definitely not recommend it.”
Bradley currently has Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner, Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker as his four vice-captains for this year’s contest, live from September 26-28 on Sky Sports, where Team USA will look to regain the trophy at Bethpage Black after their 2023 defeat in Rome.
He was part of the United States’ successful Presidents Cup team as a player last September, where he secured the point that guaranteed victory over the International Team, with Pettersen admitting it will be tough for him to decide what decision to make over his Ryder Cup role.
Bradley secured the winning point to get the American team to the magic 15.5 mark and win the Presidents Cup
“I don’t even recommend being a vice-captain and playing, because you can’t stay focused on one thing,” Pettersen added. “If you’re a player, your focus should be to bring points to the table and not being concerned about pairings and other internal stuff that goes on.
“It’s got to be tough, because he’s playing the golf of his life. He has never been ranked this high, so it’s got to be tough to take a hot name off the list of players. At the same time, you’ve got to put in your priorities.
“I’m sure he’s smart enough to make a good call whether he’ll play or not, but time will show. But it’s a big, big task to do both simultaneously.”
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Pettersen had Anna Nordqvist as a playing vice-captain during her two terms for Team Europe, where they retained the trophy in 2023 before losing in the United States a year later, which she acknowledged had to be carefully managed.
“We thought the inclusivity kind of leading up to the week was quite important, a good experience,” Pettersen explained. “Then, as the week progressed, you took more and more pressure off kind of that role and let her rather take the player position.
“At the end of the day, you can’t make it around the golf course always having the last-second discussions with each vice-captain if they’re literally on the course playing. They have enough on their table trying to bring their match home.
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“It is literally what you prepare your players for. I know Anna [Nordqvist, 2026 Solheim Cup captain] is now looking into her vice-captains and who she potentially picks and there are definitely a lot of vice-captains potentially in current players.
“At the same time, is that what you want to leave? You don’t want to leave that responsibility with the players as well. It’s a very fine line, but it’s got to be the dynamics in the team and the dynamics in the captaincies team.”
Listen to the full Suzann Pettersen 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.
