When the 2025 Ryder Cup was announced at Bethpage Black, many expected Phil Mickelson to get the captain’s duties for Team USA at “The People’s Country Club.”
But Mickelson’s move to LIV Golf and everything that went with it removed that likelihood from the equation. Instead, the PGA of America tabbed Keegan Bradley as Team USA’s leader for the next week’s showdown at Bethpage Black. Luke Donald will captain the Europeans for the second consecutive Ryder Cup.
Prior to LIV’s emergence, the Europeans had a stable of veterans in line to be Ryder Cup captains. But Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Paul Casey, and Sergio Garcia all defected to LIV, as did Henrik Stenson, who was initially named the 2023 Ryder Cup captain before bolting for the breakaway league. That left the Europeans with Donald and a relatively empty cabinet behind him, outside of Justin Rose, who is still playing at a high level at the age of 45.
As for the Americans, it’s unclear who will take over after Bradley is done with his captain’s duties. Mickelson’s name will continue to come up, but Johnson Wagner is unsure if Mickelson would be a fit given all that has happened since his exit for LIV.
“I mean, think about the players that would be on the U.S. team that he would captaining and that maybe feel like he sort of abandoned them and tried to burn the house down on the way out,” Wagner told GOLF’s Subpar co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz on the latest episode. “Like, I think it’s a little bit harder to have a LIV player as a captain.”
Wagner believes Rose would be a “no-brainer’ to be the next Ryder Cup captain for the European side in 2027 at Adare Manor.
To hear more from Wagner, check out the full episode in the video below.
