Maverick McNealy posts message after being snubbed by Keegan Bradley in Ryder Cup picks

McNealy took to Instagram after the news broke and shared a message that was nothing but gracious, despite what had to be a difficult week.

“Well, the disappointment of this past week is not how I envisioned feeling after the best season of my PGA Tour career.

“Playing with Justin Thomas on Sunday at Genesis, coming so close to winning, shooting up the rankings, and breaking the ceiling of what I thought I was capable of brought the Ryder Cup dream into full focus.

“That round kickstarted my season and got me into the signature events and all 4 majors, where I regularly competed against the best players in the world. Meanwhile, I was elected to join the Tour Policy Board starting in January, and also learned the biggest life change of all was coming—becoming a dad in November!

“I had five top-5s, played 12 rounds of major championship golf, and broke into the top 10 in the world for the first time in my career. My ball-striking continued its upward trajectory and the putter showed signs of its magic. I didn’t feel like a rookie anymore, and I have a better handle on my entire game than ever before.

“But to come so close to, and fall just short of, making the Ryder Cup team…hurts. I wanted so badly to be in that team room, wear the red, white, and blue, and—more than anything—make that putt to win points for the USA. That said, Captain Keegan Bradley is bringing a stacked squad to Bethpage, and I am grateful to have even been in the conversation. He has handled one of the toughest responsibilities in golf with professionalism and enthusiasm, and I’ll be rooting hard for his team.

“People have told me to be pissed off, channel this into motivation, and go prove everyone wrong…but that’s not really how I work. All of Team Mav poured our hearts and souls into this season. I just wish I had executed a bit better on a couple of occasions. We’re going to continue working every bit as hard toward our 2026 campaign and see where it takes us.

“I’ll play Napa & Utah this fall, mostly because I love competing and want to put these changes to the test. But most importantly, Maya & I are preparing to welcome our daughter into the world in November, and I am so excited to spend some time at home being a husband and a dad.

“Thank you to everyone who has supported, cheered & contributed to my best year ever!“

The 29-year-old is not just good enough – he has proven it repeatedly. There is every reason to think he will be right back in contention when 2027 rolls around.

How McNealy performed on the 2025 PGA Tour

This season, McNealy nearly secured a win, achieving a second-place finish at the Genesis, a third at the BMW Championship, and two tied for third finishes.

Here is how his 2025 campaign looked:

His next step is to pick up that second PGA Tour win, something he has not done since November 2024.

He has the ability to do it, no doubt. The only question is whether he can develop the mental edge needed to reach that next level. If he does, it would be hard not to see him on the US Ryder Cup team at Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027.