Starting your week with what's really important — News and Views on the world of golf from a Canadian

BY: JON McCARTHY

CAPTAIN AMERICA

1) When the American Ryder Cup team announced Keegan Bradley as the 2025 captain, they didn't expect him to be the seventh ranked golfer in the world.

"I feel like I'm playing the best golf of my life right now," Bradley said after winning the Travelers Championshp on Sunday.

That's the position Bradley has put himself in after Sunday's 72nd hole comeback win over Tommy Fleetwood. We've reached the point where it would now be a surprise if Bradley doesn't become the first player since Arnold Palmer in 1963 to be a playing captain at the Ryder Cup.

On straight points, Bradley is now placed ninth at 7,845.22 and Justin Thomas holds the sixth and final automatic qualifying position with 9,997.69. But there is no doubt that Bradley is currently one of the top-12 American players in golf.

I've written here before that my fear was that Bradley would play his way onto the team and then relinquish the captaincy, but Bradley put those worries to rest on Sunday and it now looks like a Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York will likely get even more wild than previously imagined.

2) Oh Tommy Lad, what happened?

It was more disappointment for Fleetwood, who is somehow still looking for his first PGA Tour win, despite seven wins in Europe.

Not that it will make him feel any better, but his par putt on the 72nd hole without a doubt hit something and bounced dead right to miss the hole. Maybe it was a pebble, maybe it was an old ball or spike mark, but whatever it was it cost Fleetwood a chance to hold on for victory.

In real-time on Sunday, I remember watching Bradley's putt and thinking, 'Oh man, he's put it on the same line as Fleetwood, this thing might snap right and miss.'

But then it didn't, and now we know why.

3) Hats off to Fleetwood for doing an interview after the loss. That's not an easy thing to do, but the emotions and the joy of victory and agony of defeat are what makes sports so compelling. 

He sounded crushed as one would expect, but also sounded determined to take the positives out of the week. Which isn't something many players would be able to do. 

I'm actually not sure it's the right attitude to get over the hump.

We hear so many modern golfers talk about believing in their process, and that it's all about focusing on process over results. That seems to be the modern psycho-babble from mental coaches, and a way of separating the athlete from his or her failures.

The problem is that while it might work in theory, I don't think it's going to help come late afternoon on a Sunday. All it takes is getting in the hunt one time to realize that you can't wish away the pressure.

4) Hopefully having to withdraw from the Travelers is not bad news for Corey Conners and his injured wrist. 

Conners injured his right wrist twice at the U.S. Open.

He was set to have a bit of a break after Travelers, so hopefully it's nothing serious and we see him ramping up for the Open Championship shortly.

5) FUN FACT: In his last nine events, Scottie Scheffler's worst finish has been T8. Here are his finishes beginning the week before the Masters: T2, 4, T8, W, W, T4, W, T7, T6.

5) A quick shout-out to Minjee Lee for winning her third major on Sunday at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. It's hard to believe that Min Woo Lee is the second best golfer in his family, but facts are facts and his sister Minjee just proved she was a cut above the rest of the field at a very difficult Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco.

See ya next week!