After 5 editions, Bradley makes the cut at Open

Over the years, almost every Ryder Cup captain has admitted that the most difficult part of their tenure is when they have to finalise their picks, and then make that dreaded call to those players on the edge who did not make it to the team.

- Joy Chakravarty

It happened last time in 2023 as well, when American captain Zach Johnson overlooked the 11th-ranked Keegan Bradley.

Bradley is the US Captain this year when the Ryder Cup will be played at Bethpage Black, and faces an even larger conundrum. The 38-year-old is playing some fantastic golf and has moved to No.7 in the world rankings and to No.9 in the US Ryder Cup rankings.

On Friday at the 153rd Open Championship in Portrush, Bradley, who has Irish heritage, made it a real possibility that he'd advance even further, shooting a bogey-free round of four-under par 67.

At three-under par total, he has ensured that he will play in his first Open weekend after missing the cut in the last five editions and earn some hefty Ryder Cup points (15 points per $1,000 earned in majors).