Speculations about Tiger as team captain, Scheffler injury-free, fun with DP World Tour and the Kordas. The Back Nine.
At the start of the year, a bit of speculation is in order. Some disguise it as a prediction, a popular discipline in early January. The colleagues from the renowned US portal The Fried Egg made a bold thesis for the upcoming golf year: The PGA of America offers Tiger Woods the role of captain for the 2027 Ryder Cup expedition to Ireland, but the 50-year-old politely declines. He prefers to lead the US team when playing on home soil. The GOAT as skipper in a continental competition on home ground would likely explode any fan hype in the US golf scene like never before.
Anyway, it would be Woods’ second refusal after already declining in 2025 at Bethpage Black. This had led to Keegan Bradley’s appointment, who since the 2012 Medinah loss and omission for Rome 2023, carries a third trauma. It’s a sensible decision by Tiger; why give up the home advantage – statistically almost non-existent – and risk a blemish in an away command mission where chances are slim. The last US win in Europe was in 1993 at England’s The Belfry.
Moreover, his opponent at Adare Manor might be Luke Donald, who has already soundly beaten the US skipper twice. This puts the PGA of America in a dilemma again, as few others are suitable for team captain. Not that Keegan Bradley might get another chance – Medinah loser Davis Love III also had a second chance, but in 2016 and at home. Speculation is allowed… The ‘Fried Egg’ team also had other ideas:
McIlroy and Teammate Keegan: It’s Complicated
Odd situation: Boston Common won its first match in the Tomorrow’s Golf League recently, thanks partly to putts from Michael Thorbjornsen, a replacement for Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama. Last Friday at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, the ‘Frogs’ not only faced Los Angeles but also a tense internal team scenario. Rory McIlroy and teammate Keegan Bradley had to keep up appearances despite a special relationship since the Bethpage Ryder Cup. McIlroy faced hostile, sometimes vile criticism from US fans while Bradley downplayed the fan hostility as mere passion. Though they reportedly reconciled, tension resurfaced before Boston Common’s first appearance this season, with McIlroy expressing disappointment that Bradley didn’t act as captain to calm aggressive fans. McIlroy told the \”The Overlap\” podcast, \”Sure, you use home advantage, but Keegan missed the chance to say ‘Let’s stay calm and play this game right.’ Some did, but not Keegan.\” In social media terms: it’s complicated.
Scottie Scheffler Back in Action, Injury-Free
Christmas is over, the new year started, and Scottie Scheffler survived the holidays without any household accidents this time. Time to prepare for upcoming challenges. The world ranking likely has the US Open firmly marked on Scheffler’s calendar – at Shinne