Hal Sutton remembers being a Ryder Cup player. And a Ryder Cup captain.
And being a Ryder Cup captain ahead of the Ryder Cup.
“They cart you around promoting it everywhere in the country, the PGA of America does,” he said.
His captaincy came in 2004, and before that, Sutton had played in four Ryder Cups, so he’s well-versed in the happenings of the biennial event. And if Keegan Bradley were to call, he’d know what he’d tell him.
Appearing on this week’s episode of GOLF’s “Subpar” podcast, Sutton was aware of the three-option choice facing Bradley:
– He could captain the U.S. team for its match against Europe at the end of September at Bethpage Black in New York. Bradley was picked for the role last July.
– He could play for the Americans — and not captain (or handle fewer of the duties). In this case, one of Bradley’s vice-captains would likely take over the responsibilities. Currently, Bradley is ranked eighth in the world among Americans, and he’s 10th in the U.S. Ryder Cup team points standings. After Sunday’s play at the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship, the top six in those standings will make the squad — and on Aug. 27, Bradley will make six captain’s picks to fill out the roster.
– He could captain and play. No one has done this since Arnold Palmer was a playing captain at the 1963 event.
On “Subpar,” Sutton said he would tell Bradley to play — and delegate the captain’s work to someone else.
“I think he ought to play, to be honest with you,” Sutton said on the podcast. “If he called me and asked me what, I’d say play. I always had more fun playing because you can affect the outcome playing. As a captain, you’re no better than they are playing. And if they’re not playing well, it’s pretty hard to win, no matter what you do. You can’t out-captain out of that. So I’d play.”
“Subpar” co-host Drew Stoltz then asked Sutton if he should serve the dual role or just play.
Said Sutton: “Just play.”
Said Stoltz: “Just play. Defer the captaincy to someone else.”
Said Sutton: “Yeah, because it takes your mind off of the playing if you’ve got to make some decisions on being a captain, too. I think he ought to — he’s got qualified people that are assistants; he can let one of them do it, you know.”
Said “Subpar” co-host Colt Knost: “Yeah. I mean, it’s obviously you’re not going to get many chances to be a Ryder Cup captain. He was obviously appointed at a very young age and he’s been playing great golf. I just know if the job’s to put the 12 best players out there, he’s one of them. He’s on that list.”
Said Sutton: “That’s my opinion, too.”
Said Knost: “Yeah, I like it.”
Editor’s note: To watch the entire episode of “Subpar” with Sutton, please click here or scroll immediately below.
