Speculations about Tiger as team captain, Scheffler injury-free, fun with DP World Tour and the Kordas. The Back Nine.
At the beginning of the year, a bit of speculation is allowed. Some disguise it as a prediction, a very popular discipline in early January. The colleagues of the renowned US portal The Fried Egg have boldly proposed the thesis that the PGA of America will offer Tiger Woods the captaincy for the 2027 Ryder Cup trip to Ireland, but the 50-year-old kindly declines. He prefers to lead the US team when it’s a home game. The GOAT as skipper for the continental competition on his home turf: that would probably break all records of fan hype in golf in the US.
Anyway, it would be Woods’ second refusal after already declining for 2025 at Bethpage Black. That led to the appointment of Keegan Bradley, who since then has carried the trauma of the Medinah 2012 defeat and exclusion for Rome 2023. It would be an understandable decision by Tiger. Why should he forfeit the home advantage – even if statistically it practically does not exist – and risk tarnishing his sporting record away, where chances are slim? The last time Americans won in Europe was in 1993 at The Belfry in England.
Moreover, his counterpart at Adare Manor might be Luke Donald, who has already thoroughly outsmarted the US captain twice. This again puts the PGA of America in a dilemma because there are hardly any candidates for team captain. Heaven forbid Keegan Bradley be called again – Medinah loser Davis Love III was given a second chance in 2016, but that was a home game. Well, a little speculation is allowed…
McIlroy and teammate Keegan: It’s complicated
Strange constellation: Boston Common won a match in the Tomorrow’s Golf League for the first time, notably thanks to the putts of Michael Thorbjornsen, a replacement for Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama. However, last Friday at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, the “Frogs” faced not only Los Angeles but also an internal team tension. Rory McIlroy and teammate Keegan Bradley had to keep a good face despite a complicated relationship since the Bethpage Ryder Cup.
Specifically, since McIlroy faced some unpleasant attacks by US fans, Bradley downplayed the fan hostility as just