By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer
ATLANTA (AP) — President Donald Trump says he will be at the opening round of the high-charged Ryder Cup next month in New York, and he thinks U.S. captain Keegan Bradley should be playing.
Trump posted on his social media site Saturday night he would be there on Friday, Sept. 26, for the start of three-day matches between the United States and Europe. He said he was invited by the PGA Tour, which does not run the event.
A PGA of America spokesperson did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Already the most raucous event in golf, this Ryder Cup has more anticipation than usual because of the venue — the Black course at Bethpage State Park on New York’s Long Island, a public course with a reputation for having the rowdiest fans.
Given his passion for golf, it was expected Trump would make a presence at some point during the Ryder Cup. He met with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and Tiger Woods earlier this year to try without success to solve the divide created by the breakaway, Saudi-funded LIV Golf. The PGA Tour announced this week it would return to Trump National Doral in Florida next year for the first time in nearly a decade.
The added wrinkle to this Ryder Cup is Bradley, who is debating whether to become the first captain to play in the matches since Arnold Palmer in 1963.
Bradley, 39, is the youngest American captain since Palmer was 34. Whether he should play and maintain captain duties has been the subject of much debate, and Bradley has added to the intrigue by winning twice in the last year.
He shot 63 on Saturday — a few hours before Trump’s post on Truth Social — to get into fourth place with a chance to win the season-ending FedEx Cup.
“Keegan Bradley should DEFINITELY be on the American Ryder Cup Team — As Captain!!! He is an AMAZING guy. It will be a great Ryder Cup,” Trump wrote.
Trump, who attended the Super Bowl in February and most recently the final of the FIFA Club World Cup in New Jersey, is friendly with several prominent golfers. Bryson DeChambeau, who qualified for the U.S. team, has played golf with Trump and was the only golfer Trump appointed to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.
Bradley’s decision on whether to play will come Wednesday when he announces his six captain’s picks.