Keegan Bradley among Jim Furyk’s six picks for Presidents Cup

American Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley will compete at this month’s Presidents Cup. He was one of Jim Furyk’s six captain choices announced on Tuesday.

Bradley, who will lead the U.S. team in next year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York, had already been named vice-captain for the Presidents Cup. He will now compete only as a golfer; Furyk said a new vice-captain will be chosen to replace him.

Sam Burns, Russell Henley, Brian Harman, Max Homa and Tony Finau were also chosen by the captains.

Captain Mike Weir’s six favourites included three Canadians: Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith and Mackenzie Hughes, along with South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout, South Korean Si Woo Kim and Australian Min Woo Lee.

The Presidents Cup will be played from September 26 to 29 at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Canada.

Furyk said Bradley’s performance in the FedEx Cup playoffs (he won the BMW Championship to reach the Tour Championship) helped his cause.

“It’s good to get it done when you have to,” Furyk said. “A guy who’s been grinding it out and coming here at the end of the season in big moments, and that’s what you want on your team.”

Harman, the 2023 Open Championship winner, and Homa, a six-time winner on the PGA Tour, were somewhat surprising choices given their recent form. Homa went 4-0 in his 2022 Presidents Cup debut; Harman was 2-2 at last year’s Ryder Cup in Rome and is considered a top match-play contender.

“I think he’s a great teammate,” Furyk said of Homa. “I think he plays well in partnerships. It’s his personality. I don’t think it’s popularity, he’s kind of a glue. He’s an emotional leader on and off the golf course.”

World No. 1 golfers Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay and Sahith Theegala automatically qualified for the US team.

All twelve of the top golfers in the American rankings are included in the team.

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, South Koreans Sungjae Im, Tom Kim and Byeong Hun An and Australians Adam Scott and Jason Day qualified for the international selection.

Some of the notable names no longer on the US team include Justin Thomas, Billy Horschel, Akshay Bhatia and Chris Kirk.

Thomas had a 10-3-2 record in the last three Presidents Cup games.

“I think if you look at it, there’s about 16 or 18 guys that I would love to have on this team,” Furyk said. “Ultimately, I love JT. I know him probably as well or better than anyone on my team. Again, great record and feisty and (an) emotional leader.

“I’m just trying to put the pieces together and find the right 12 to take to Montreal. It’s tough, it’s tough. He’s a great team room guy and he’s going to play on a lot of these teams in the future, and one day he’s going to be a captain, and a great one.”

Weir also considered Canadians Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin, but ultimately chose Hughes, who is regarded as one of the best putters on tour.

“I can’t tell you how tough those calls were for those guys,” Weir said. “I respect those guys. I love those guys. And they’re like brothers, they’re Canadians.”

The U.S. team has dominated the Presidents Cup since its inception in 1994, winning 12 of its 14 games and tying one. The U.S. won the most recent game 17½-12½ at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2022.

“They’re a tough group, no doubt about it,” Weir said of the U.S. team. “You know, golf is golf. Our guys believe we can win. Match play is different. It’s a whole different animal. I believe in these guys and I absolutely believe they’re going to do well.”