03 October 2023 , 18:27
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Keegan Bradley discussed just how much a place in the American Ryder Cup team would have meant to him, before being agonisingly snubbed by captain Zach Johnson.
Bradley was backed to return to the United States team for the first time since 2014, after an impressive season in the PGA Tour. It was not to be for the 37-year-old though, who missed out on a re-call at the expense of Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Sam Burns and Collin Morikawa.
The snub will have been a tough one to take for the American star, who had admitted in an interview just weeks before the team was revealed that he would take a spot on the Ryder Cup team over a £8.2million payment.
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Asked if he would rather make the Ryder Cup team or receive the mega-money payment, Bradley told Barstool Sports: "I would much rather play the Ryder Cup. Ten million is... you have to pump it [the payment up]. He went up to admit that £41m ($50m) could potentially turn his head, adding: "We'd have to talk."
Of course it was not to be for Bradley, and the American team either who without the PGA Tour star went on to lose the Ryder Cup in Rome against their European rivals. It was a tough week on and off the course for the U.S. setup, following reports of a rumoured 'split' within their locker room.
The allegations centred around Patrick Cantlay, who was reportedly unhappy with players no being paid to compete at the Ryder Cup - a stark difference to the mentality of Bradley. The claim was first reported by Sky Sports, who revealed Cantlay was refusing the wear a cap in protest of not receiving payment for representing his country.
The dubbed 'capgate' became the biggest topic of the week at Marco Simone, with Cantlay laughing the idea of his cap refusal off, instead claiming it was down to the team caps not fitting his head. He did however refuse to address the claims surrounding the pay dispute.
On day two of the event, the conversation surrounding Cantlay's cap refusal reached boiling point after the American and his teammates ironically waved their hats in celebration after the former FedEx Cup champion defeated Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick in Saturday's final fourball match alongside Wyndham Clark.
Soon afterwards the American was questioned whether he believes players should be paid to play in the Ryder Cup, to which he responded: "It's not about that. It's just about Team USA and representing our country." Pressed once more, Cantlay again refused to answer the question, adding: "That's all I've got to say about that."