Keegan Bradley agonising over whether to be a playing Ryder Cup captain for US
Keegan Bradley has opened up on the intense strain associated with his upcoming and “defining” decision on whether to play for, as well as captain, the United States in the Ryder Cup.“I am going to be really happy when this week is over,” Bradley said.“I have about had it with this whole thing.I am ready to figure out what we are doing and get a team together.”Bradley is due huge credit for his candour.
A second round of 64 at the Tour Championship boosted his case to become the first Ryder Cup playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.Bradley, who was 11th in the US rankings heading into the Atlanta event, will name his six wildcards on Wednesday.“I am very well aware that no matter what decision I make, I am going to be defined by it,” Bradley said.“If we win, it doesn’t matter what I do.I am fine with that, normally if you win you are the best captain and when you lose you are the worst.
I have been a part of teams.“Every captain has to make tough decisions, this is just a unique one.It is going to be controversial either way but I am ready for it.This is the biggest decision of my life.”Bradley has also emphasised the big picture is uppermost in his thoughts.
The US are seeking to regain the trophy they lost in Rome two years ago.“I really don’t care if I play and lose all five matches or if I don’t play,” said the 39-year-old.“As long as we win on Sunday.Any decision we make is with that in mind.This is about what we think will win us the Ryder Cup.
”Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa are almost certain to take two of Bradley’s selections for the tournament from 26-28 September,Both were in attendance as the US held a Ryder Cup team dinner in Atlanta on Tuesday,Patrick Cantlay’s involvement at Bethpage is also highly likely,Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Sam Burns and Maverick McNealy are the others who are part of the discussion alongside Bradley himself,Griffin’s chances are the strongest among that set.
Bradley’s six-under-par second round came despite huge distraction.“It is very difficult,” he added.“I am having a really hard time right now separating my captaincy and my play.For the past month it has been like this.This week I am trying so hard [to focus] but it [the Ryder Cup] is all I am thinking about.
Pairings, certain things I want to say to the guys during the week … it is just difficult,“I have been in the position before of trying to make the team, it is just really strange being the captain,I don’t think anyone has ever gone through this,”It therefore seems to naturally follow that playing at the same time as leading the team would add a fresh level of stress,“ It would be difficult,” said Bradley.
“It is doable though.I have got incredible vice-captains and people to lean on.I will cross that bridge if it comes.”Sign up to The RecapThe best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend’s actionafter newsletter promotionUmpteen players have been adamant Bradley’s ability and form mean he should play.The man himself insisted that need not be altogether relevant.
“It means a lot but I don’t think it counts,” Bradley said.“We have to get together with vice-captains and look at what has gone on, look at the data and make a decision based on what is best for the team.That stuff certainly feels nice for me but when we look at me as a player, we talk as if I am not in the room.We look at the stats, the data and I am player X.That is strange but if there are negatives about me playing, I want to hear those.
“I feel like I am still one of the best players in the world so I figured the likelihood of me being completely out of the picture was slim,I had an inkling so we have been preparing for this,It certainly would be a lot easier if I was top six or completely out of it,”Tommy Fleetwood’s latest bid for an overdue victory on American soil has him tied for the lead with Russell Henley at the halfway point at East Lake,Fleetwood’s 63 and Henley’s 66 left the pair at 13 under.
Young is two strokes back, with Cantlay alongside Robert MacIntyre at minus 10.“I actually feel like I’ve played very, very well when I have led tournaments and been in contention,” Fleetwood said.“It’s just I might have not got things right at the end.It’s not like I’ve crashed and burned.It’s just that I’ve not quite finished things off.
“The people that win the most are the guys that are in contention the most.That’s just what I want to do.That’s where I want to be.I love the buzz when I am in contention.”
England get the party started on a night that shows just how big this World Cup could be | Andy Bull
Electric atmosphere in Sunderland and at the stadium proves women’s tournament has grown up quicker than anyone ever expectedIt was quiet at Sunderland station on Friday afternoon, and quiet all the way up Union and South Streets and quiet all the way along to Keel Square, where the World Cup was hidden, waiting around the corner like a surprise party. There three, four, five thousand or more were bouncing up and down while a stout lad with Spandex trousers, a sequined jacket and serious pipes was belting out the opening notes of We Will Rock You on the big stage while his band thrashed away behind him. If everywhere else around town was empty, it was because everyone was here. It was a hell of a way to start a World Cup.“Let’s show them how we do it in the north-east!” shouted out the Mackem Mercury as he set a carnival parade off marching over the bridge towards the Stadium of Light for the kick-off
England off to a flyer in 11-try Women’s Rugby World Cup mauling of USA
Outside chatter of a Rugby World Cup favourites tag and expectations on a team can only go so far, the Red Roses had to go out and prove it on the pitch. The host nation more than lived up to their hype as they kicked off their campaign in front of a record crowd for an opening game at a women’s World Cup with a hugely dominant display against the USA which has underlined their ambitions for the World Cup crown.The prop Hannah Botterman and the centre Megan Jones were standouts in a good team display and the scary thought for their future opponents is that the performance was far from England’s best.Handling errors were at the heart of the sloppy areas for the Red Roses but the hosts were commanding at scrum time which got them out of jail on a few occasions. When their attack did click nothing could stop them, the best try of the 11 coming with Botterman’s clever line run in the first half
Aussie ace Asfoora earns tilt at Irish prize after blitzing Nunthorpe field
The third time was the charm for the Australian-trained sprinter Asfoora as Henry Dwyer’s mare took the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes, the feature on day three of the Ebor Festival, after near-misses at Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood. “It’d be a bad night to be a beer in York, I’d reckon,” Dwyer told ITV Racing, before heading to the winner’s enclosure to kick off the celebrations.Oisin Murphy enjoyed a perfect trip on the 11-1 shot, as he was able to slipstream Night Raider, the early pacesetter, through the first three-and-a-half furlongs and then quicken into a decisive lead when Danny Tudhope’s mount drifted right a furlong out. But while it was very much Plan A from the rider’s point of view, the dedication required to get Asfoora spot-on for this high-speed dash down the Knavesmire should not be underestimated.Her attempt to win the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot in June for the second year running had ended in valiant defeat, while Asfoora was still not quite at her peak for the King George Stakes at Goodwood in August
Keegan Bradley agonising over whether to be a playing Ryder Cup captain for US
Keegan Bradley has opened up on the intense strain associated with his upcoming and “defining” decision on whether to play for, as well as captain, the United States in the Ryder Cup.“I am going to be really happy when this week is over,” Bradley said. “I have about had it with this whole thing. I am ready to figure out what we are doing and get a team together.”Bradley is due huge credit for his candour
Rugby World Cup: Ireland offer support to Shannon Ikahihifo after cancer diagnosis
Ireland’s World Cup squad have offered their support to their teammate Shannon Ikahihifo after she revealed her breast cancer diagnosis. The Trailfinders second-row Ikahihifo, who has three Irish caps, was part of the pre-tournament training group but did not make the final squad.On Friday the 30-year-old posted news of her condition on Instagram, writing: “Crazy to think that one day you can be running around on the rugby pitch feeling completely fine, then five days later you’re sitting in a hospital room being told you have cancer.“ Still a little in shock if I’m honest, but I’m so blessed to have the most amazing husband, family and friends that always carry when things start to feel a bit heavy. Fair to say she’s been a pretty tough few weeks
Serena Williams built her legacy on defiance. Why lend it to Ozempic culture? | Bryan Armen Graham
When Serena Williams was featured in a People magazine story on Thursday morning discussing her 31lb weight loss, the rollout had all the hallmarks of an advertisement draped in the thin veil of an all-caps EXCLUSIVE.Vogue’s social channels amplified their own access, NBC’s Today show gave her a one-on-one segment and Elle published a carefully packaged interview in which Williams declared she wanted to break the stigma around weight-loss drugs, each of them in lockstep with what appeared to be a hard 9am press embargo. This vintage Jill Smoller quadrafecta was not a spontaneous confessional; it was a coordinated media blitz pegged to the US Open, the tentpole event of American tennis, which kicks off on Sunday in earnest.Yet for all the precision and polish, it was unmistakably a commercial. The product wasn’t just Williams’s refined physique, already the subject of months-long speculation among her 32 million followers across social media
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