FRISCO, Texas — Former major champion Gary Woodland will make his first Ryder Cup appearance this year, with the 41-year-old from Kansas announced Wednesday as the fifth and final assistant to U.S. captain Keegan Bradley for this fall’s matches at Bethpage Black.
Woodland will join Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner, Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker as U.S. assistants when the Americans try to win back the cup from Europe on Sept. 26-28 on New York’s Long Island.
The assistants could take on extra significance this year as Bradley decides whether to be the first playing captain since 1963. Bradley won the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship two weeks ago, giving him more wins in the pasat year than any American golfer except Scottie Scheffler, who has been No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking for more than two years.
Two months remain before the U.S. team’s first six players are set by qualifying, followed by six captain’s picks.
“As a major champion and someone who is still competing at a high level, he is well aware of the demands of performing on golf’s biggest stages,” Bradley said of Woodland, who won the 2019 U.S. Open at California’s Pebble Beach Golf Links. “He will be a valuable leader for us over the coming months and throughout the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.”