Keegan Bradley found himself in an impossible situation.
Snubbed from the last Ryder Cup Team USA, Bradley was in full control this time around. He's the team captain. He could pick himself.
And even tougher, Bradley played one of the best seasons of his life in 2025. If he was ever deserving, it was probably this year.
But in the end, Bradley didn't choose to put himself on the team. He won't be a playing captain, which would've been the first since Arnold Palmer in 1963.
MORE: How Bryson DeChambeau chooses his driver and hits it so far
Why didn't Keegan Bradley pick himself for Team USA?
Keegan Bradley chose six captain's picks ahead of himself: Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns.
Bradley, 39, said he made the decision a decent chunk of time before the late-August announcement of his selections.
"The decision was made a while ago that I wasn't playing. This was a really tough decision. There was a point this year that I was playing," Bradley said, via Jason Sobel. "All these guys stepped up in a major way and got themselves onto this team."
Bradley ended the PGA Tour season ranked No. 11 in the Ryder Cup standings.
He made what he felt was the best decision, even though it hurt.
"I grew up wanting to play Ryder Cups. I grew up wanting to fight alongside these guys and it broke my heart not to play. It really did," he said. "Ultimately I was chosen to do a job. I was chosen to be a captain."
And he decided to do that job the way he felt was best.
Has Keegan Bradley played in the Ryder Cup?
Bradley did play in two Ryder Cups more than a decade ago.
He suited up for Team USA in 2014 and 2014, both losses.
He could've made the team in 2023 but just missed, and he opted to snub himself in 2025.
He'll focus on being captain instead.
MORE: What Team Europe received instead of a salary pales in comparison to Team USA