The overlooked Ryder Cup star made a confession that says it all about Team USA’s attitude

Keegan Bradley discussed how important a spot on the US Ryder Cup team was to him, before being painfully snubbed by captain Zach Johnson.

Bradley returns to the US national team for the first time since 2014, after an impressive season on the PGA Tour. Not so for the 37-year-old, who missed the callback at the expense of Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Sam Burns and Collin Morikawa.

Such a snub will be difficult for the American star, who admitted in an interview just weeks before the team revealed that he would take a place in the Ryder Cup squad for a fee of £8.2million.

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When asked if he’d rather make a Ryder Cup team or get the big money, Bradley told Barstool Sports: “I’d rather play in the Ryder Cup. Ten million is… you’ve got to put it in.” [the payment up]. He admitted that £41 million ($50 million) could turn his head, adding: “We have to talk.”

Of course that wasn’t the case for Bradley, and neither was the American team that, without the PGA Tour star, lost the Ryder Cup in Rome to its European rivals. It’s been a tough week on and off the track for the US national team, following reports of a rumored “split” within the locker room.

The allegations centered around Patrick Cantlay, who was said to be unhappy with players not being paid to compete in the Ryder Cup – a stark difference from Bradley’s mentality. The claim was first reported by Sky Sports, who revealed that Cantlay was refusing to wear the hat in protest at not being paid to represent his country.

Nicknamed “capgate” became the biggest topic of the week at Marco Simone, with Cantlay laughing at the idea of ​​his hat being rejected, instead claiming it was because the team’s caps didn’t fit his head. But he declined to address the claims surrounding the pay dispute.

On the second day of the event, the conversation surrounding Cantlay’s refusal to play the cap reached boiling point after the American and his teammates waved their caps in celebration after the former FedEx Cup champion beat Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick in Saturday’s final four-ball match alongside Wyndham Clarke.

Shortly afterwards, the American was asked if he thought players should be paid to play in the Ryder Cup, to which he replied: “It’s not about that. It’s just about Team USA and representing our country.” Pressed again, Cantlay again refused to answer the question, adding: “That’s all I have to say about that.”