Speculations about Tiger as captain, Scheffler injury-free, fun with DP World Tour and the Korda siblings. The Back Nine.
At the start of the year, a bit of speculation is allowed. Some disguise it as a forecast, a popular discipline in early January. The colleagues from the renowned US portal The Fried Egg boldly proposed the following 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 it’s a home game. The GOAT as skipper in a continental competition on home turf: this would probably surpass all fan hype ever seen in golf in the USA.
Anyway, it would be Woods’ second refusal after already declining for 2025 at Bethpage Black. This historically led to the appointment of Keegan Bradley, who since the 2012 Medinah defeat and not being considered for Rome 2023 carries a third trauma. However, it’s an understandable decision for Tiger. Why lose home advantage – even if statistically it barely exists – and risk tarnishing his record in an away command mission with low chances? The Americans last won in Europe in 1993 at The Belfry in England.
Moreover, his counterpart in Adare Manor could be Luke Donald, who has already outplayed the US skipper twice by all rules. This puts the PGA of America in another dilemma, as few others are suitable for the captain role. Hopefully, Keegan Bradley won’t get a chance again – Medinah loser Davis Love III famously had a second chance in 2016, but at home. Well, speculation is allowed… The Fried Egg team also noted other insights:
McIlroy and teammate Keegan: It’s complicated
Strange situation: Boston Common won a match in the Tomorrow’s Golf League for the first time, thanks in part to putts by Michael Thorbjornsen substituting for Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama. But last Friday at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, the ‘Frogs’ faced both Los Angeles and a tense internal team situation. Rory McIlroy and Boston Common teammate Keegan Bradley had to keep up appearances despite a complicated relationship since the Ryder Cup at Bethpage.
Specifically, after McIlroy was harshly criticized and attacked by some US fans, Bradley downplayed the fan behavior and hostility as merely ‘very passionate.’ McIlroy said they supposedly made amends but