ATLANTA — Keegan Bradley did not need a reminder he is on the brink of a potentially historic week, but it was waiting for him on Tuesday at East Lake Golf Club, nonetheless.
Bradley could become the first U.S. Ryder Cup playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963 if he selects himself next Wednesday to participate in this year’s matches. It’s a decision some thought inevitable a few weeks ago, but the choice has been clouded by inconsistent play recently.
Just in case Bradley forgot his historic dilemma for a moment, there was a glaring reminder in player registration at East Lake. Officials created a display of Palmer’s golf bag and other memorabilia from the ’63 matches, which were played at East Lake.
“I went to go check it out. It’s where we register, so I saw his bag, and it was really weird looking at it. Like really strange because I’m nowhere in the world of Arnold Palmer and somehow I’m in this with him right now, which is definitely strange,” Bradley said Saturday at the Tour Championship.
Bradley has said he has already made most of the decisions when it comes to his captain’s picks, but his play this week at the finale may have created some doubt if he was leaning toward not selecting himself.
Bradley shot 63 on Day 3 to move into a share of third place, a round he said might be the best of his year, and conceded he wasn’t sure how a potential victory on Sunday could impact his Ryder Cup choices.
In fact, Bradley sounded nostalgic when he was asked about joining Palmer as a playing-captain.
“I wish he was alive and I could call him,” Bradley said. “If I had one thing, I wish I could call Arnold and talk to him because I think he’d have some great advice for me.”