Speculations about Tiger as 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 allowed. Some disguise it as a prediction, a very popular discipline in early January. The colleagues from the renowned US portal The Fried Egg have boldly suggested for the upcoming golf year: The PGA of America offers Tiger Woods the position of captain for the Ryder Cup expedition 2027 in Ireland, but the 50-year-old politely declines. He prefers to lead the US team when a home game is at stake. The GOAT as skipper in a continental competition on home soil would likely break all fan hype records in the US.
Anyway, this would be Woods’ second refusal after also declining 2025 at Bethpage Black. That led to the appointment of Keegan Bradley, who since the 2012 Medinah defeat and exclusion from Rome 2023 carries his third trauma. However, it is an understandable decision by Tiger. Why give up home advantage – statistically almost non-existent – and risk a sporting stain in an away command task with slim chances? The Americans last won in Europe in 1993 at The Belfry in England.
Moreover, his opponent in Adare Manor could possibly be Luke Donald, who has already expertly outplayed the US skipper twice. This puts PGA of America in a dilemma again, as hardly anyone else is willing for the team captain role. Hopefully, Keegan Bradley won’t be called again – Medinah loser Davis Love III got a second chance in 2016, but that was at home. Well, a little speculation is allowed… The Fried Egg team also had other thoughts:
McIlroy and Keegan: It’s complicated
Strange constellation: Boston Common won a match in the Tomorrow’s Golf League for the first time, thanks notably to the putts of substitute Michael Thorbjornsen. Last Friday at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, the “Frogs” not only faced Los Angeles but also had a tense team situation. Rory McIlroy and teammate Keegan Bradley had to put on a united front despite a complicated relationship since the Bethpage Ryder Cup.
Specifically, since McIlroy was verbally attacked by US fans in a nasty manner, while Bradley