Bradley has made two playing appearances in the Ryder Cup and been on the losing side both times

"Ridiculous" and "controversial" are two of the words Keegan Bradley is using to describe his predicament while he considers whether to pick himself for the US Ryder Cup team.

There was always a good chance the 39-year-old would find himself in this deeply uncomfortable situation. He narrowly missed selection for the last Ryder Cup and, by common consent, is currently one of the top dozen American golfers.

Bradley's appointment as captain came from left field. He is far from done as a player and he has only played two Ryder Cups, both defeats in 2012 at Medinah and two years later at Gleneagles.

His kit bag from his 2012 debut remains unopened. He does not want to see those uniforms again until he has featured on a winning team.