At first, it seemed Keegan Bradley would be an outstanding choice as the captain of Team U.S. at Bethpage. Playing on home soil, he had all the advantage he needed to build the course, team, and strategy to overwhelm the Europeans. But as we now know, Luke Donald’s side proved to be a little too tough for someone as inexperienced as Bradley. And chances are he won’t be leading the team again in Europe. So who will be the captain in 2027? Well, Brandel Chamblee thinks it shouldn’t be Tiger Woods!

That’s what the LIV Golf critic said after the end of Sunday’s action on Live. He didn’t specifically point out that the big cat shouldn’t be in the running. Instead, Chamblee had two other candidates in mind who would be perfect for the role. Talking about how European captains prepare for the Ryder Cup, he said, “Their Team Cup is an event which is used to prepare for the Ryder Cup, to test captains, vice captains, players, pairings, and begin a message to get the players ready to play in the Ryder Cup.”

The Team Cup (formerly known as the Hero Cup) is an event that was started by the DP World Tour in 2023. It’s conducted at the beginning of the same year as the Ryder Cup. The tournament pits the best in Great Britain & Ireland against everyone else in Continental Europe. The tournament features many of the Ryder Cup players competing against each other in a format similar to the transatlantic event. This gives the players great practice to prepare for the Ryder Cup and gives the captains valuable insights into each pro.

The PGA of America also has a similar event in its schedule that helps it scout the team for the Ryder Cup. And Chamblee picked one of the players based on that tournament: “I don’t know if the Presidents Cup is anything close to that. If it were, how has Fred Couples never been named the Ryder Cup captain, for crying out loud? Tell me how. How has Justin Leonard never been named the Ryder Cup captain? Tell me the most important putt in the history of the Ryder Cup from the USA, and tell me it’s not his putt.”

Both Justin Leonard & Fred Couples hold incredible Ryder Cup records. Couples, in his 5 appearances, has seen the team win twice, lose twice, home and away, and has also experienced a tie. He has played with some legendary golfers like Tom Watson, Phil Mickelson, and Leonard himself. 12 years younger than him, Justin got the opportunity to team up with Tiger Woods and David Duval in the three appearances he made. Couples has also captained the American Presidents Cup team thrice.

With the kind of experience they have, it does raise the question: How was Keegan Bradley picked over them? Maybe there might be some truth to the rumors that the PGA of America was just trying to make up for the mistake they made in 2023 by not picking him to play. Having said that, why would Brandel Chamblee overlook Tiger Woods over Justin Leonard & Fred Couples? Let’s compare their Ryder Cup records to understand the situation better.

Are Justin Leonard & Fred Couples better suited to be captains than Tiger Woods?

It’s not like Scottie Scheffler & Co. can’t be captained by Tiger Woods in Ireland. The idea of the big cat leading the charge and the world #1 ripping through the defense of the Europeans on their home soil seems quite exciting. But one thing that will always affect the big cat’s chances of being the captain is his record as a player. As prolific a golfer as he was, he didn’t quite nail the team format of the Ryder Cup.

It’s not like Woods was bad in team-format events altogether. Woods dominated the Presidents Cup in 43 matches, winning 27 times with 15 losses and 1 tie. However, he just couldn’t nail it against the Europeans. In 37 matches, he won 13 times, lost 21 of them, and had 3 ties. He was great in singles matches, but couldn’t capitalize in the pairing contests. Moreover, Team U.S. has also only won the Ryder Cup once when he was in the squad.

Lastly, Tiger Woods has always been more interested in individual championships than team events. During a press conference in the 2004 Ryder Cup, he proved in a press conference that people only care about individual achievements over team contributions. While that may have contributed to the overall image of Team U.S. caring less about the Ryder Cup, it still does stand true for the big cat. So to have him lead the squad would certainly be a mistake on the PGA of America’s part.

Having said that, it’s not like Tiger Woods should never lead Team U.S. But it would be better if he is handed the responsibility when the transatlantic golf tournament is played in America.