The announcement of Keegan Bradley as the captain of Team U.S. at the Ryder Cup 2025 caught a lot of attention from the media. Back in July 2024, everyone was surprised when Bradley was picked by the PGA of America to lead the team ahead of Tiger Woods. In fact, no one had even thought of Bradley considering that the 38-year-old was not even in the squad for the 2023 Ryder Cup.

Months after the announcement, a new dilemma lay in front of Team U.S. Insiders recently discussed the team composition for the Ryder Cup 2025 highlighting a few points that Keegan Bradley might need to keep in his mind. Let’s see what they said.

Big decisions that lay ahead for Keegan Bradley

David Feherty joined Jerry Foltz and Su-Ann Heng for a podcast on the LIV Golf YouTube channel. The three talked on various topics that eventually led them to the Ryder Cup 2025. During this conversation, Su-Ann asked David about his views on both the teams involved in the tournament.

He went on to explain how both teams are looking to get their best players into the loop. He added how the world rankings shouldn’t come into play as he hoped that both the teams decide to pick players who can perform the best.

Speaking about Keegan Bradley, David said that he hoped “He (Keegan Bradley) doesn’t buckle under any kind of pressure.” David suggested that Bradley might receive comments about how LIV Golf players “don’t deserve” to be a part of the team. This is about players who have left the PGA Tour and joined LIV Golf. Feherty added, “We have players like Brooks (Koepka), Bryson (DeChambeau), and Patrick Reed who just love the Ryder Cup,” suggesting how passionate these players are about playing for Team U.S.

David shared how the Ryder Cup is all about the love of golf and the team you represent as he said, “It’s like the Stanley Cup in hockey.” The Stanley Cup is the oldest championship in North American sports and is considered a prestigious and challenging event. It’s also considered the highest possible achievement in hockey. Coming back to the Ryder Cup, David added, “It’s not about money for these players.” elaborating how financial gains are not the goal for most players participating in the Ryder Cup. He stated, “It is not about anything but touching the cup. It’s the purest form of the game.”

But are LIV Golf players permitted to play on behalf of the PGA of America for the Ryder Cup 2025? Let’s find out.

Eligibility Criteria for the Ryder Cup 2025

Former PGA Tour players who switched to LIV Golf were given a grace period to participate in the PGA Championship and also represent Team U.S. in the Ryder Cup. However, that eligibility was lifted earlier this year. The PGA of America eventually announced in September 2024 that the LIV Golf players will be allowed to play in the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup as long as they meet the qualification criteria.

This means that Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and any other LIV Golf player can play in the Ryder Cup if they gain enough PGA Tour points to qualify for it or get picked by the team captain, Keegan Bradley. Bryson DeChambeau has cut thanks to his 2024 U.S. Open. win. As far as Brooks Koepka goes, he can still cut if Keegan Bradley picks him for his team. As suggested by the guest on the LIV Golf podcast, picking both these pros is a no-brainer for the captain as they can give Team U.S. an edge in the tournament.

It will be interesting to see what Keegan Bradley will do. He is already under the spotlight for being named the captain. His team picks might determine if the initial decision by the PGA of America was right or not. What are your views about allowing LIV Golf players to play for Team U.S. in the Ryder Cup 2025? Let us know in the comments section!