At the PGA Championship, a different event is top of mind

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Luke Donald doesn’t really deserve to be at Quail Hollow, and he knows it. But he’s more than happy to sit here, in the air-conditioned interview tent, tied for second place and actually answering questions about his game for a change. 

You see, Donald is only in the field via a special invite from the PGA of America as the current European Ryder Cup captain. And 24 hours earlier, that’s what had him in the same press conference seat answering 17 questions about the Ryder Cup — scheduled for four months from now — and not a single one about his own game. 

“Well, that’s what I signed up to,” Donald said after shooting a bogey-free 67, adding that the imbalance of attention doesn’t bother him. But there’s a level of pride that exists in any pro golfer, particularly those who once graced the top of the World Ranking. You’d always love to be talking about your game first.

Donald’s surprisingly solid play — tied for the best opening round in a major in his career — is completely a coincidence, thanks mostly to a hot putter, but it is no less part of a trend at this PGA Championship. All eyes are on this tournament, sure, but most minds are quietly thinking about the Ryder Cup, too. 

Just ask American captain Keegan Bradley — who carved his own 68 out of Quail Hollow. He saw Donald’s score and immediately told the press he was excited to text his future opponent. Bradley was grouped with two potential Ryder Cuppers — Andrew Novak and Maverick McNealy — and suggested the honor was likely a distraction for them. He also suggested nothing they could do Thursday or Friday would determine if they’re on or off the American squad.

And yet, the question exists because Ryder Cup years do this to everyone. Two PGAs ago, at Oak Hill in New York, Brooks Koepka basically guaranteed his spot on the team by winning his fifth major. Any number of pros on the leaderboard could do the same thing this week. Which makes the inverse worth noting, too. Koepka’s opening 75 should have Bradley thinking some things. It was just last week that Koepka got a special invite to a prospective-player team dinner Bradley hosted in Philadelphia.

The questions about who is in Ryder Cup form or who’s invited to Ryder Cup meals persist because the Cup is big business. It nets the PGA of America an extra $25 million during years it’s held in the U.S. It’s this year-end beacon off in the distance that everyone wants a piece of. The questions also persist because they’re not always answered with the most clarity, especially in these politically angsty pro golf days. Jon Rahm was asked if he has been told he’ll have a spot on Donald’s team. He refused to answer, saying that was a question for Donald. When Donald was asked about Rahm’s prospects, given the ongoing appeal to suspensions he’s earned for playing LIV Golf, Donald said it was a question for DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings.

A different merry-go-round of press conference vagueness took place for Bradley, too, after he said Bryson DeChambeau was also at the dinner in Philly, only for DeChambeau to clarify later that he was not. Rather, he tuned in via Zoom after his flight was delayed, but heard it was “pretty inspirational.” Patrick Reed, who sits at 25th in the American team points list, second-highest among LIV golfers, was not invited. 

Because of the ongoing stalemate between the investment wings of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, qualification lists only tell part of the story. For Reed to get a proper look, he’d be wise to play well this week, just like he did in a T3 finish at last month’s Masters. Same goes for Sergio Garcia, who has played great on LIV but missed the cut in Augusta. Donald says his team of statisticians consider the results of major weeks “quite a lot.” 

And yet, a recent standard was set for only six automatic qualifiers on each team, gifting captains the power to choose half their team. The reason rests in weeks like this one — where plenty of points are on the line, plenty of hype in the air and the fact that four good days (even at a major) does not make a Ryder Cupper. Phil Mickelson’s PGA win four years ago was his only top-10 finish that season. By the time the Ryder Cup team came together, Mickelson was relegated to watching as a vice captain. 

Bradley may do the opposite — play so well that he has to surrender the captaincy in favor of playing. He’s currently 22nd on the American points list — a win would move him to 12th — and the reality of a difficult decision gets previewed in every press conference he conducts. After his three-under first round, one question got right to the point.

Do you want to be a playing captain?

“I don’t know,” Bradley said. “I want to help the team best I can. If that means playing, I’ll do that.” 

This week should help him figure that out, on a big, hilly golf course that could play a bit like Bethpage Black will in September. Bradley has set a soft target of next month’s U.S. Open to reassess his standing against the others trying to qualify. Thursday is just one round of one tournament, but it’s the round we’ve got at the tournament the world cares about this week. Top of mind it will stay until something else replaces it.