Last week, as Team USA faltered, Lee Westwood suggested Phil Mickelson as captain for 2027, but Phil quickly shut it down, saying, “No rumors. My Ryder Cup involvement is over. I’m happy being a spectator and rooting for Team USA.” After a painful 13-15 loss to Europe — their first home defeat since 2012 — criticism has mounted over broken team chemistry and deeper issues, and now growing voices believe the only man who can fix it is Tiger Woods, with the calls coming from more than just frustrated fans.

Johnson Wagner, former PGA Tour player and current Golf Channel analyst, believes the time for Tiger Woods to captain the American team is now, and he wasn’t joking. Wagner began praising Luke Donald and his meticulous leadership that helped Europe reclaim the Cup, stating he’s “set a new standard,” and “whether you’re European or American, you’re going to probably try to model yourself off of what Luke Donald does.” And then came the kicker.

“I think Tiger Woods checks all the boxes. Obviously, he’s Tiger, but I think he has the time to devote. I think it would be good for him personally and professionally. If he was the captain and devoted himself the way he used to devote himself to playing the game of golf, I think Tiger Woods would be an amazing captain, and I think it’s exactly what the US side needs,” Wagner continued on the 5 Clubs channel.

His message was clear— Tiger Woods isn’t just a symbolic pick, but he might be the only one capable of leading a fractured team back to glory. These were big words from Wagner, but they might not be convincing enough given that Woods had already turned down the job before.

Woods was offered the Ryder Cup captaincy for 2025 but politely declined, citing time constraints — namely his involvement with the TGL and his ongoing role in high-stakes PGA–LIV negotiations. “With my new responsibilities and time commitments involved, I felt like I would not be able to commit the time to Team USA and the players required as a captain,” said Woods, when he was offered the role.

While he cited the lack of time, according to Rory McIlroy‘s former agent, Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler, that excuse was nonsense. “They offered it to Tiger, he didn’t want it,” Chandler revealed in an interview with Casino Hawks. “I think he might have bottled it. I don’t know. He’d say maybe there wasn’t enough time, but that’s nonsense.”

That left attention briefly on Phil Mickelson — but his answer was even more final. Despite 21.5 career points in Ryder Cup play and a vice-captain role in 2021, he shut the door completely: “I don’t think I’m the best unifier going forward for the Ryder Cup, and that’s fine.”

With Phil Mickelson out and the team in crisis, eyes are turning back to Woods, who many believe is the only one with the pedigree, presence, and passion to rally the troops. But there’s one person who probably hasn’t floated the idea of Woods captaining for Team USA.

Not everyone’s sold on Tiger Woods as the next captain

Not everyone is lighting a torch for Captain Tiger, and Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee made it very clear with his suggestions for the next captain. Chamblee believes the rightful Ryder Cup captain for 2027 should be Justin Leonard, not Woods. He praised Leonard’s “emotional intelligence, humbleness, thoughtfulness, attention to detail,” and even compared him to Europe’s captaincy greats, Luke Donald and Paul McGinley. And he didn’t stop there.

“Tell me the most important putt in the history of the Ryder Cup from the USA and tell me it’s not his putt,” Chamblee said, referring to Leonard’s iconic putt on the 17th hole at Brookline in 1999. That moment, a long birdie putt, ignited wild celebrations and helped cap off one of the greatest comebacks in Ryder Cup history. It’s a highlight etched in golf history, and for Chamblee, it symbolizes not just Leonard’s impact as a player, but his Ryder Cup DNA.

“Justin Leonard should be the Ryder Cup captain next go around if it’s not Fred Couples,” Chamblee continued. With three Ryder Cup appearances (1997, 1999, 2008), a major championship, and 12 PGA Tour wins, Leonard’s résumé is not one to ignore. And in Chamblee’s eyes, while Tiger Woods may have the name, Leonard has the mind, and maybe that’s what Team USA really needs.