The trio will join the nine automatic selections, led by five-time major winner Phil Mickelson, along with Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Zach Jonson, Matt Kuchar, Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth, Jimmy Walker and Bubba Watson.

Mahan will be making his third Ryder Cup appearance at Gleneagles Golf Club in Scotland, while Bradley and Simpson made their debuts in Medinah, Chicago, two years ago in a match that saw Europe win for a second successive time.

Brandt Snedeker, Ryan Moore, Bill Haas and Chris Kirk had all been in contention for the final three spots but Watson's decision means that Reed, Spieth and Walker will be the only players on the US team making their Ryder Cup bows in Perthshire from September 26 to 28.

Mahan was not in Medinah in 2012 but was part of the US team that last won the Cup in 2008 with victory in Kentucky before losing at Celtic Manor in Wales two years later.

The 32-year-old has hit some decent form at the right time after an indifferent season saw him without a top-20 finish for five months before he finished seventh at the final major of the year at the USPGA Championship in Valhalla last month.

That was followed by a win at The Barclays FedEx Cup play-off event in New Jersey two weeks ago.

Hunter Mahan is the only one of Tom Watson's three wildcard selections to have tasted Ryder Cup success in the past ©Getty Images



"Hunter has had a wonderful stretch of golf recently and he led the greens in regulation stats in three of the last four tournaments he played in," said Watson, who has never lost in five Ryder Cup appearances,including captaining the US team the last time they won the tournament on European soil at The Belfry in England in 1993.

"He is a really great ball striker and he is really starting to come into his own right now."

Bradley is without a win on the PGA Tour in over two years but won three of the four matches he played at the 2012 Ryder Cup.

Simpson's form in recent weeks, meanwhile, has seen him record four top-10 finishes in his last 10 outings.

"Captain Watson gave me a call early this morning," revealed 29-year-old Simpson.

"Fortunately I was up, we had a good conversation and he told me I was a pick.

"I was elated.

"It was one of the greatest calls I have ever received."

Europe go into the Ryder Cup as strong favourites to make it a hat-trick of wins and earlier today, captain Paul McGinley named his three wildcard picks that include Scotland's Stephen Gallacher and English pair Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter.

They join world number one and two-time major winner this year Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland along with compatriot Graeme McDowell, Denmark's Thomas Björn, Welshman Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson of France, Spaniard Sergio Garcia, Germany's Martin Kaymer, Justin Rose of England and Swede Henrik Stenson.

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