After months of deliberation and anguish, Keegan Bradley opted not to pick himself as one of the U.S. Team’s six captain’s picks for the Ryder Cup – ending a long-discussed and debated possibility that has defined the lead-up to Bethpage Black next month.

Bradley announced his six captain’s picks on Wednesday morning at the PGA of America headquarters in Frisco, Texas, notably leaving himself off. Instead, Bradley selected Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young and Sam Burns.

“I grew up wanting to play Ryder Cups. I grew up wanting to fight alongside these guys, and it broke my heart not to play. It really did,” Bradley said Wednesday, “but ultimately I was chosen to do a job. I was chosen to be a captain.”

Bradley’s predicament was endlessly dissected over the last few months as the captain emerged as a viable candidate to play. Bradley initially declared he would only play if he was one of the USA’s six automatic qualifiers. That threshold softened over time, culminating after Bradley won the Travelers Championship in June and stated that he would pick himself if he felt he was one of the top 12 Americans. That pronouncement remained ambiguous and subjective through the summer, particularly as other potential picks played their way into form and Bradley’s play dipped in the last stages of the season.

Bradley received both ire and praise for the possibility. Former European Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance told Sky Sports that Bradley picking himself “would be the worst decision a captain has ever made if he was a playing captain. I don’t believe you can do it.”

Simultaneously, Bradley received full-throated support from various Americans asked about the possibility. Cantlay and Rickie Fowler gave their vote of confidence at the BMW Championship. Justin Thomas reiterated it at the TOUR Championship. Though most acknowledged the difficulty of the situation.

“I think he's got one of the most difficult decisions anyone has ever had to make,” Collin Morikawa said at East Lake. “Like I said, he's put more hours than we could even ask and know about into this Ryder Cup, and he still has played great golf. He is one of the best Americans as of right now.”

Bradley compiled an impressive season considering the circumstances, compiling 11 top 25s and six top 10s, tied for the most he’s had in either category since 2013-14. In addition to winning at TPC River Highlands, Bradley finished T7 in the FedExCup and ranked 12th in Strokes Gained: Total.

“This is the proudest season I've ever had,” Bradley said at East Lake.

Ultimately, Bradley decided not to take on the dual role in favor of committing 100 percent of his efforts to captaining the team. Bradley previously called the decision one of the most difficult he would ever make.

The decision comes with the added context that Bradley is well aware of how it feels to be left off a Ryder Cup team. Bradley was heartbroken not to receive a captain’s pick for the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy, which was captured and documented by Netflix’s "Full Swing."It’s hard not to imagine that those experiences informed Bradley’s decision. Had he chosen himself, Bradley was likely keeping off a player who expected to be picked.

Bradley revealed on Wednesday that at one point after his Travelers Championship win that he would play on the team, but as other Americans started to come into form, he changed his mind. Bradley said he was set on not playing for “a while,” and that decision crystallized on Monday after the TOUR Championship. Bradley said he was moping around, thinking about how he wasn’t going to play, but that he felt it was the best decision.

“Part of it’s been a relief, and now I get to cheer these guys on for the next month,” Bradley said.

Bradley said his mind did not waver over the last 48 hours.

“I'm really happy with these six players, Bradley said, “and I'm glad it's over."