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 little 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 boldly asserted for the upcoming golf year: The PGA of America offers Tiger Woods the captaincy for the Ryder Cup expedition 2027 in Ireland, but the 50-year-old politely declines. He prefers to lead the US team when it is a home game. The GOAT as skipper in a continental competition on home turf: this would likely shatter all fan hype records ever experienced in US golf.
In any case, this would be Woods’ second refusal, after already turning down 2025 at Bethpage Black. This led to the appointment of Keegan Bradley, who since the 2012 Medinah loss and the omission for Rome 2023 carries a third trauma. However, it is an understandable decision from Tiger. Why should he forgo home advantage—statistically practically non-existent—and risk a tarnished record in an away leadership role where the chances are not good? The Americans last won in Europe in 1993 at The Belfry in England.
Moreover, his opponent at Adare Manor might be Luke Donald, who has already outsmarted the US captain twice thoroughly. This again puts the PGA of America in a dilemma, as few others are available for the captain’s role. Hopefully, Keegan Bradley won’t be called upon again—Medinah loser Davis Love III was famously given a second chance in 2016, but that was on home soil. Well, some speculation is allowed… The \”Fried Egg\” folks also came up with more ideas: