Who will lead America’s quest for the Ryder Cup in 2027?
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Now that the original question has been answered – Tiger Woods will not captain the 2027 U.S. Ryder Cup team in Ireland after stepping away from the game for an undisclosed period to address personal issues – it leads to another question:
Who will be the American leader at Ireland’s Adare Manor, where the U.S. team will attempt to win overseas for the first time since 1993?
The job was Woods’ if he wanted it and there was a sense that a decision would come soon after the Masters. With Woods having told the PGA of America he will not captain the team next year, the focus suddenly veers to who might take the role last held by Keegan Bradley at Bethpage Black last fall.
Here are five potential candidates:
Justin Leonard: When asked in a television interview recently why he would be a good choice as the captain, Leonard said having a degree of separation from the players would be an advantage for the captain.
Leonard knows the potential team members but he’s not around them regularly. He also has not been part of the Ryder Cup process in recent years.
But Leonard is detailed and tenacious, not unlike European captain Luke Donald, and that seems to have worked out well.
Steve Stricker: There is an argument to be made that Stricker is both the smart and the safe choice.
He captained the victorious U.S. team at Whistling Straits in 2021 and he also led the Americans to an easy victory in the 2017 Presidents Cup at Liberty National.
Stricker has the respect of everyone and players responded well to his style, which gave them plenty of freedom while still cultivating a close team culture. If Bradley was an out-of-the-box choice last time, choosing Stricker now – assuming he is interested – would be a prudent pick.
Webb Simpson: He has the look of a future captain, whether in the Ryder Cup or the Presidents Cup. Simpson was the first vice captain named by Bradley and he was also a vice captain to Davis Love III in the 2022 Presidents Cup.
Xander Schauffele once said Simpson leads the PGA Tour in “strokes gained attitude,” which speaks to his positivity. A U.S. Open and Players champion, Simpson has shown the competitive chops (if that matters any more) and a levelheadedness that would serve the Americans well.
Stewart Cink: If he were the choice, it would mean stepping away to a degree from what is a lucrative career on PGA Tour Champions in his prime playing window.
He was a vice captain to Zach Johnson in Rome three years ago and while that match didn’t work out particularly well for the Americans, he’s been on the inside. He’s also been a playing member of five Ryder Cup teams and four Presidents Cup teams so he should have a sense of what works and what doesn’t.
Keegan Bradley: The loss at Bethpage last fall still haunts Bradley, whose American team ran into a European buzzsaw the first two days before mounting an impressive, though too late, comeback on Sunday.
Bradley was criticized for his Collin Morikawa-Harris English pairings and blamed himself for keeping the rough short at Bethpage but the players were unanimous in their support of him. He seems an unlikely choice but he merits some consideration.
Ron Green Jr.
