Keegan Bradley still has hopes of playing in 2025 Ryder Cup

Keegan Bradley will be the U.S. captain for next year's Ryder Cup, but he’s not ruling out the possibility of playing in the event, as well.

Bradley was clear about his intentions in Tuesday's press conference announcing him as the next U.S. captain.

"I want to play on the team," said Bradley, who is the world's 19th-ranked player. "I feel like I'm still in the prime of my career and can make this team."

The appointment of Bradley, 38, was unexpected because of his age, his lack of experience as a vice captain and his continued success as a player. Bradley won twice last year and was a controversial omission from the Ryder Cup team that lost in Rome.

The door for Bradley to become the captain was opened when Tiger Woods, who was long presumed to be the frontrunner, declined the role, citing his responsibilities on the board for both the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Enterprises.

Now, Bradley could be the first playing captain in either the Ryder Cup or President Cup since Woods led the U.S. to victory in the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne in Australia.

Bradley finished 11th on the points list for last year's Ryder Cup team but was left off of the 12-man squad. The top six players on the U.S. points list automatically qualified for the team, followed by six captain's picks. One of the most heart-wrenching scenes from this recent season of the Netflix docuseries "Full Swing" was Bradley receiving the call from U.S. captain Zach Johnson informing Bradley that he had not been picked for the team.

Bradley owns six PGA TOUR wins, including the 2011 PGA Championship. Bradley has played in two Ryder Cups and one Presidents Cup. He is 4-3-0 in his two Ryder Cup appearances in 2012 and 2014 and went 2-2-1 at the 2013 Presidents Cup.

Bradley made it clear, though. He will not be a captain’s pick this time around. The only way he plays is if he automatically qualifies via the points list.

"I want to make the team on points," Bradley said. "Otherwise, I'm going to be the captain."

Regardless of whether Bradley is just a captain or will be one of the 12 players at Bethpage Black, it will be an unprecedented Ryder Cup. Bradley will be 39 years old at the time of next year’s event and will be the youngest Ryder Cup captain since 34-year-old Arnold Palmer was a playing captain in 1963.

Bradley ranks 37th in this season's FedExCup standings with two runner-up finishes. He is currently 24th on the U.S. points list for next year's Ryder Cup.