Keegan Bradley has drawn praise for what many see as a selfless decision, sacrificing his own dream for the good of the Ryder Cup team. But was that choice entirely his? Tiger Woods, who turned down the captaincy last year, citing an overloaded plate with PGA Tour duties, TGL commitments, and family responsibilities, may not have stepped away as completely as everyone thought. In fact, his presence behind the scenes suggests this year’s captaincy might not be Bradley’s story alone.

According to the recent report of GOLF, an insider shared how Woods is informally involved in the decision-making. He said about the decision of Bradley, “He’s being consulted.” Further, the team source said of Woods, “And I know he feels like he’s a part of Keegan’s decisions and how he’s thinking about it, and Keegan has been hugely respectful of that. Without giving [Woods] an outsized role, I think it’s been balanced and kind of appropriate. He’s been sort of an informal advisor or Dutch uncle.” Well, it might sound abrupt at first, but when looking back at the discussion between Bradley and Woods ahead of the 3M Open, it connects the dots.

Earlier in 2024, Bradley shared, “Yeah, I’ve told Tiger that I want him to be as involved as he wants to be.” The Ryder Cup captain has a strong and mutually respectful relationship with Woods. He even values Woods’s experience of leading the team during the 2019 Presidents Cup to victory. The American team defeated the international team by 16-14, and Woods being the playing captain at that time.

More recently, Bradley revealed in July 2025 that he had leaned heavily on Woods, not just for initial support, but throughout the challenging process of weighing whether to play while leading. “I’ve spoken to him a ton about this,” Bradley said, citing Woods’ experience and wisdom during this high-pressure decision-making period. As for Woods?

When Bradley’s name popped up for the captaincy, Woods nodded with approval, saying, “A brilliant choice.” Eventually, the captain, also with gratitude, pointed to Woods, saying, “I’ve been grateful — before I accepted this job, I needed to talk to Tiger and I wanted to make sure I — I wanted to hear from him.” Well, the decision was clear, Bradley became the youngest US Ryder Cup captain after Arnold Palmer in 1963.

But with the involvement of Tiger Woods in the decision, it is something that can be unexpected. However, this revelation will bring close observation to the picks of Luke Donald, as it is just a matter of days before the European team’s 12-man squad will be finally revealed. Besides the attention, Donald has to make some tough choices with the picks.

Luke Donald is now set for the Ryder Cup team revelation

Team Europe captain Luke Donald will share his 6 picks for the team on Monday, September 1st, at 9 AM ET. With Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Rasmus Hojgaard, and Tyrrell Hatton already qualified. The captain will look to add more balance and an in-form golfer to retain the title.

Well, apart from the six, the next four in the ranking, namely, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Ludvig Aberg, and Viktor Hovland, are in great form this season. It would not be tough for Donald to keep them on the team. But the difficulty will arise for the last two picks. Following that, Matt Fitzpatrick has shown impressive performance too; he has achieved multiple top-5 and top-10 finishes in both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. In fact, his best finish at the majors this year was T4 at the Open.

Thomas Detry, with his win at the PGA Tour’s WM Phoenix Open, has already hinted at his caliber. On the other hand, Marco Penge, with two victories at the DP World, is also in strong contention to be on the team. But the list of options doesn’t end here, as Jon Rahm, Harry Hall, and many others are on the list waiting to be picked by Donald for the team.

The “good headache” now might be turning into a bad one as we are closing the date for the selection. While on the American side, Woods did the job to help the captain, but does Donald have any support? What do you think will be the picks for the captain? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.