KEEGAN Bradley is set to become the first Ryder Cup captain to play in the event in more than 60 years after denying Tommy Fleetwood his first PGA Tour win.

Exactly a year after being handed the USA reins for Bethpage Black in September, Bradley’s birdie on the last at the Travelers Championship coupled with playing partner Fleetwood’s bogey saw him win by a shot.

And Bradley, 39, admitted he is closer to selecting himself for the US dozen than at any stage since he took the role – setting up a potential Sunday singles rematch with the Southport golfer.

Golf legend Arnold Palmer was the last playing captain when he led the US to a crushing 23-9 mauling of Great Britain and Ireland at East Lake, near Atlanta, in 1963.

But Bradley, now up to seventh in the world rankings and ninth in the US Ryder Cup standings – the top six qualify by right and the captain will select the other half of the team – is ready to rewrite the recent history books.

Bradley said: “I never really planned on playing. I really wanted to just be the captain.

“I really felt strongly about that. I want to serve the guys.

“They asked me to do a job. I want to do it to the best of my abilities.

“But this changes the story a little bit.

“I never would have thought about playing if I hadn’t won.

“But this definitely opens the door to play.

“I don’t know if I’m going to do it or not, but I certainly have to take a pretty hard look at what’s best for the team and we’ll see.

“It’s still June, so we’ve still got a long way to go. This definitely changes things a little bit, and we’ll all get together and figure out the best way to do this.

“With the amazing vice captains that I have, and I have a better perspective of playing in the Presidents Cup and being around a lot of the guys, I feel a lot more comfortable if I went that route.”