Keegan Bradley doesn’t feel he’s part of golf’s inner circle.
And that’s why it’s extra painful when he learned he had not been chosen Tuesday with the six captain’s picks for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
“I’ve always been an outsider in the sport but I have tried to get closer to the guys I thought would be on the team,” Bradley told Golf Channel’s Tom Lewis.
“I feel like moving forward I’m going to have to automatically qualify for the Ryder Cup … I am pulling for the U.S. team.”
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Bradley did not automatically qualify for the team by falling outside of the top six on the points list with his 11th-place finish.
That put his fate in U.S. captain Zach Johnson’s hands.
Bradley certainly made a solid case for inclusion with two tournament wins, including a record-setting performance at the Travelers Championship in Hartford, Conn., in June.
The selection of Thomas raised eyebrows as he has been in poor form of late — and had some questioning if it was a decision solely based on his close ties to other members of the team.
Bradley did praise Thomas, though.
“I think JT is a generational talent,” Bradley said to Lewis of Thomas.
It didn’t matter.
Johnson opted for Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler and Sam Burns.
Bradley knew once he picked up the phone he hadn’t made the cut.
“I could tell by the response from Zach when I answered the phone that I wasn’t on the team,” Bradley said. “I’m super bummed out. I thought I put together a really good year with two wins including in Hartford over an elite field. I’m proud of what I’ve done.”
Bradley previously participated in the 2012 and 2014 Ryder Cups.
This year’s Cup will occur from Sept. 29 through Oct. 1 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy.
The Americans aim for their second straight win and third in four years.