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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

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  Debate

Debate

Does Keegan Bradley deserve a spot on the 2024 Presidents Cup team, or is vice-captaincy enough?

The Presidents Cup will commence from September 26th to 29th at the Royal Montreal Golf Club. For the American squad, pros like Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele might automatically qualify, but will the 2025 Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley qualify to play against the international team?

The selection criteria for Team USA involve FedExCup points accumulated from January 1, 2023, through August 25, 2024. Scheffler and Schauffele are qualified with 13,184 and 8,717 points, respectively. However, with 2,871 points, Bradley currently ranks #18 on the United States team standings, which means he might not get a chance to play unless there are exceptions.

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Speaking of exceptions, it seems that the 38-year-old might get a seat thanks to U.S. Captain Jim Furyk. Recently on @SiriusXMPGATOUR, Furyk was with Michael Breed, and they were talking about potentially giving Bradley a vice-captain role for the Presidents Cup. While talking about his intentions, Furyk said, “I’ve always had in the back of my mind to keep a spot open for whoever would be named the Ryder Cup captain.”

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Earlier this month, Bradley was announced as the captain of the 2025 Ryder Cup. As the conversation continued, Furyk further added, “Whether that was Tiger Woods or now it’s Keegan Bradley, I’ll definitely reach out—or maybe I’ve already had conversations with Keegan—but I definitely want to offer that up to him. I think it would be a great experience. Being in the backroom and sitting down with captains is a totally different experience for the playing side.”

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Even if Keegan Bradley isn’t currently qualified to play at the Royal Montreal Golf Club, if he assumes the position of Vice Captain, it could grant him a spot since it was the same in 2019. At that time, Tiger Woods assumed the position of Vice-Captain, and he was able to play at the tournament as the playing VC. While the eligibility criteria for Team USA revolve around FedExCup points earned from tournaments like the BMW Championship and the Sentry, is it different from the qualification criteria for Team Internationals? Yes, it is.

What is the difference between both teams’ eligibility criteria?

The major difference between both teams’ eligibility is the OWGR rankings. For the year 2024, the international team’s qualification will involve the world rankings. According to the criteria, the automatic qualifiers will be the top six eligible international players (excluding those eligible for the European Ryder Cup team) in the OWGR standings after the 2024 BMW Championship.

Subsequently, the captain will make six additional picks during the week of the 2024 TOUR Championship. The automatic qualification criteria apply only to pros who have played in 15 or more OWGR-rated events from September 12, 2022, through the 2024 BMW Championship. However, players who missed tournaments due to illness or injury will not be penalized.

What are your thoughts on the eligibility criteria and potential chances of Keegan Bradley becoming the vice-captain?

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