As is tradition with the Ryder Cup, there are a lot of conversations about how the losing team, in this case Team USA, can fix things. 2025 captain Keegan Bradley was a unique pick, as he is still in the prime of his playing career. But to say that did not work would be an understatement. Phil Mickelson joined the discourse on X, formerly Twitter, and came up with a creative idea for a USA Ryder Cup captain.
Mickelson responded to a post from Normal Sport's Kyle Porter, which questioned the idea that Tiger Woods could be the savior for Team USA. “Here is why looking outside of golf to a coach K or Lou [Holtz] is worth exploring. Golf is an individual sport that doesn’t have team work, support system, partnership, team analytics, personality traits, and more. The Europeans have a template that teaches and prepares their captains for these skills. U.S. has a new template every 2 years with little continuity. If a coach K or Lou Holtz or someone similar took over, would it be built upon or would it be scrapped and start over again afterwards? If that’s the case, it would be a waste of time and effort and not worth doing to begin with.'
When fans pointed out that Holtz, the former Notre Dame Football coach, would be 90, he meant a Holtz-type coach.
Picking a Ryder Cup captain outside of golf would be unique, but the PGA of America may be desperate. They were dominated on home soil and do not have a captain's training ground, as Mickelson points out.
Michael Jordan made his way to the Ryder Cup on Friday and certainly has the team experience Mickelson is looking for. Former pitcher John Smoltz and four-time NBA Champion Steph Curry are also golfers.
But would that strategy work for the Ryder Cup? Could a captain have no experience in the tournament but still lead the group?
