The left-field choice of Keegan Bradley at the 2025 Ryder Cup didn’t go to plan, so what will the PGA of America come up with next for 2027?
When I first produced this article, I hadn’t considered Keegan Bradley at all.
He hadn’t considered himself, in my defence. He was as surprised as anyone when the PGA of America not only told him he would be captain, but the organisation wanted him to be playing captain.
He chose not to choose himself as a captain’s pick despite playing very well in 2025, but his US team didn’t perform in front of the Bethpage crowd.
Team Europe outperformed them in every department of the game in New York on each day, sending Bradley back to the drawing board, scratching his head on multiple occasions.
So, who are the candidates to lead Team USA at Adare Manor at the 2027 Ryder Cup?
Fred Couples has been a US Ryder Cup vice-captain three times, and he played for Team USA five times.
This major-winning former World No.1 would seem an obvious choice with his frequent association with the event, and he would be unfazed by the home European crowd in Ireland.
At Marco Simone at the 2023 Ryder Cup, Couples that crowd trouble wasn’t an issue and that the fans at the Ryder Cup are the “coolest thing in golf.”
Known for his calm and collected demeanour on the fairways, Couples could be just the man for Team USA at such a tense event. The choice of Bradley represented a left-field move to a younger model of captain though, which makes the US 2027 captain acquisition even harder to call.
Stewart Cink
The 2009 Open champion had his first stint as a Ryder Cup vice-captain in Rome in 2023. Although he didn’t taste success, it was a taste of leadership required to be a captain one day.
Stewart Cink made five consecutive Ryder Cup appearances from 2002 to 2010, experiencing victory only once at Valhalla in 2008.
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It could be a case of natural progression for Cink, who could’ve used the week at the 2023 Ryder Cup to gather his thoughts ahead of a tilt at captaincy shortly. He definitely wants to be captain one day, and felt it might’ve fallen to Tiger Woods before the 2025 event.
“I do want to be the captain and think I can be. But with all due respect to Tiger Woods, I think it’s up to him,” Cink said to Sports Illustrated, ahead of Bradley being appointed as the 2025 captain.
“But I know I can do it. And I know I would love to do it. Especially after being an assistant at the last Ryder Cup.”
Tiger Woods
If you had to part with money to predict the 2027 US Ryder Cup captain, a flurry of support would probably come for Tiger Woods.
His name was linked with Bethpage for many months, and at nearly 50 years old and still seemingly recovering from surgery, his playing days are few and far between.
Woods said there was “too much at stake” with the PGA Tour to think about the Ryder Cup when speaking at the 2023 Hero World Challenge. It would seem his involvement in talks between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf made it impossible for him to show equal focus for Bethpage in 2025.
Perhaps when things are wrapped up between the tour and the Public Investment Fund (wrapped up meaning completely evaporating into nothingness), Woods could turn his attention elsewhere. A captaincy at Adare Manor in 2027 would be extremely exciting.
Steve Stricker guided Team USA to a record-breaking 19-9 victory in 2021 at Whistling Straits with one of the States’ most impressive sides for a while.
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His team was on hot form heading to Wisconsin and, although you could attribute the demolition of Europe to the quality of players, it seemed Stricker galvanised them and did a stellar job.
Could America look to their most recent winning captain to retain the cup in 2027? It wouldn’t be such a shock, having played in three of them and served as a vice-captain in 2023.
Matt Kuchar
This is a name that hasn’t been mentioned too loudly in the US Ryder Cup captain circles.
Matt Kuchar served as a vice-captain in 2018 under Jim Furyk and, despite winning nine times on the PGA Tour, you would think his competitive days are over and his career could be moving upstairs.
The 47-year-old has played in four Ryder Cups. With his age and experience, he is certainly entering the ballpark to be considered as captain.
Brandt Snedeker
The stars might be aligning for Brandt Snedeker to become the US Ryder Cup captain soon. It is easy to forget that he has a history with this event, and a good history too. Snedeker was one of the top scorers for America in 2016 when they won at Hazeltine. He won three points, and formed a great partnership with Brooks Koepka.
Snedeker is a winner on the PGA Tour and was a vice-captain to Keegan Bradley at the Bethpage Ryder Cup. He is also the US captain for the 2026 Presidents Cup, so we could be seeing an ascension plan before our very eyes.
You might usually look to a major champion to be a Ryder Cup captain, someone who has led by example in their career. But figures such as Luke Donald, Thomas Bjorn and Paul McGinley have shown that it isn’t important. Snedeker would well be next.
Jim Furyk
Jim Furyk captained the American team in 2018, which got hammered in Paris. It was a complete shambles of a campaign for Team USA, from Tiger scoring no points and disastrously pairing Bryson DeChambeau with Phil Mickelson, to Patrick Reed’s damning post-event interview and Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson allegedly scuffling in the aftermath.
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But it might not have been all bad from Furyk. It was a rampant European side, and only three US captains have won the Ryder Cup this side of the millennium. There were whispers that if Keegan Bradley chose to play and skipper the 2025 US side, it would’ve fallen on Furyk to take up the reins.
There is a suspicion that Furyk isn’t done yet. He is a US Open champion and has had a remarkable career. He will likely continue to be involved in the Ryder Cup.
