Major Ryder Cup Rule Update: Team Europe Captain Luke Donald Supports USA’s Proposal to Foster Harmony
LUKE DONALD has agreed to lift the gag order on Ryder Cup vice-captains, enabling his counterpart Keegan Bradley to take on the role of player captain.
This suggests that Europe is hopeful about becoming the first team to achieve an away victory since the Miracle at Medinah 13 years ago, should Bradley embrace a dual role.
3
3
At present, vice-captains are not allowed to provide guidance or contact players during matches due to existing rules.
However, European captain Donald is open to changing these regulations, permitting one of Bradley’s five assistants—Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker, Kevin Kisner, Gary Woodland, or Jim Furyk—to take his place on the course.
Sources indicate that Donald agreed to the American’s request to avoid any potential “bad blood” between the teams ahead of their encounter at New York’s Bethpage Black in September.
Behind closed doors, Donald and his team are optimistic that Bradley might get sidetracked while trying to balance his duties as the Ryder Cup’s first player-captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.
Initially, Bradley stated that he would only participate if he qualified as one of the six USA players automatically, firmly asserting he would not be among his captain’s picks.
Even so, his remarkable performances in recent years have propelled him to seventh in the world rankings.
Although he dropped from ninth to tenth on the American Ryder Cup list after tying for 30th place at the Open, he clearly believes his game is strong enough to remain actively involved.
Bradley has also confirmed that LIV star Bryson DeChambeau—who claimed his second US Open title last year—will definitely be part of his team at Bethpage, even if he might not maintain an automatic qualifying position.
BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK
DeChambeau currently ranks fifth on the points list despite having a limited schedule.
However, he will not be taking part in any further qualifying events due to his LIV commitments, which gives some competitors a chance to surpass him during the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Bryson DeChambeau reveals he used to beat Scottie Scheffler for fun as world No1 chases Open glory
Bradley shared with Sports Illustrated: “Bryson is going to be a very important piece to us winning the Ryder Cup. He brings so much.
“He brings energy, passion but most importantly, he’s one of the best players on the planet.”
3