Keegan Bradley becoming the first playing captain in the Ryder Cup since Arnold Palmer in 1963 was widely assumed to happen this fall at Bethpage Black, but the United States captain opted to leave himself off the playing roster as the most notable snub of the captain's picks. 

There was a time after his win at the Travelers that he was in his provisional roster, but as the Ryder Cup neared he realized the responsibilities as captain would be too much to handle while also playing. Still, as the U.S. team began practice Monday to officially start of Ryder Cup week, Bradley admitted he couldn't stop thinking about what it'd be like to be playing with his guys. 

"Definitely. I've thought about it every second," Bradley said. "But I've also thought about how impossible it would be. 

"Like I said earlier, I was picked to do this job as captain, and there's been certain things that I've done during the week or lead-up that if I was playing, I don't think I could have done at the level that I needed to do them at. I catch myself every now and then looking down the fairway, seeing the guys walk down the fairway and think how badly I'd like to do that, and how badly I'd want to be in the group with Scottie Scheffler and seeing him play and being his teammate.

"But I feel like I've been called for a bigger cause here, to help our guys get ready to play and play at the highest level. But in the back of my mind, I'm always thinking, 'I could have been out there.' But ultimately, I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed being the captain and how I've enjoyed not having to worry about getting to sleep and getting my rest or how I haven't had to think about what time I'm going to go practice or meet my coach and then meet the guys. It simplified things a lot for me."

2025 Ryder Cup schedule, dates: Format explained each day with teams set for Bethpage Black

Patrick McDonald

The hardest part of this for Bradley is clearly being out on the course, unable to help the team by hitting actual shots. At the same time, it seems like he's relieved to not have to juggle his responsibilities all week, and seems content that he's made the right decision, both for himself and the team. 

That's easy to say Monday, and Bradley is hoping his team will reward him with a Ryder Cup victory celebration Sunday night. If he's hoisting the Cup as the sun goes down at Bethpage Black, he won't have any regrets. But if things go wrong, the emotions will be unlike anything a Ryder Cup captain has ever felt, wondering if his biggest mistake was not picking up the clubs himself.