Bradley faces a fascinating and gut-wrenching day next week when he has to call the players on the bubble and tell some of them they’re out. Two years ago, sitting at 10th in the standings, Bradley got the call from then-captain Zach Johnson to tell him he wasn’t going to Rome. He was devastated and angered by the decision.

Known lovingly as “The People's Country Club,” this mecca of New York public golf—and one of the hardest courses in the world—will play host to the Ryder Cup, the team match-play tournament in which the 12 best American golfers compete against their counterparts from the UK and Europe.