Phil Mickelson Wants Tiger Woods as US Ryder Cup Captain? Lefty’s ‘Divisive Character’ Confession Sheds New Light on Epic Rivalry

Leading a team to glory is nothing short of an arduous task. It is especially so when it comes to the Ryder Cup, as experienced by Zach Johnson a while back. However, his captaincy has left many doubtful of his future as the skipper. But then, who would replace him? Well, the name Tiger Woods had been an obvious choice for many veterans. Besides, even Phil Mickelson seems to be hinting at the same!

The LIV golfer was having a chat with Pat McAfee when the question of Ryder Cup captaincy came up. Well, the professional was quick to decline the prospect while insinuating a certain kind of person as the “best leader” for the team!

Phil Mickelson declines the prospect of being the Ryder Cup captain

In an episode of The Pat McAfee Show, the 53-year-old confessed how he would not be the “right guy to be involved with the team” as of now. Why, you ask? Apart from obviously being excluded as a pro on LIV Golf, the HyFlyer GC skipper divulged how he is a “very divisive character right now,” while alluding to the whole fiasco between the two tours.

Adding on, however, Mickelson made sure to highlight the qualities needed to be the “best leader” of the US team. Elaborating on the same, he expressed his belief as he mentioned how the guy has “to be kind of a unifier and have these relationships solidified” all the while being “somebody that you know you want to follow.” Someone like Woods, perhaps? Well, that is what many, including Davis Love III and Paul Azinger, think.

The two veterans of the sport had earlier put forth the 15-time major champ’s name as an obvious choice for the US team’s captaincy. Love, during a presser for a PGA Tour Champions event, had mentioned how the golfer would be the “next logical choice” following the exit of some guys. Meanwhile, Azinger pointed out how Bethpage Black would be a “perfect match” between him and Sergio Garcia if the latter was allowed back into the team. With the amount of faith the golf world has in the legend, him being the “unifier” that ‘Lefty’ was talking about makes perfect sense, despite their previous rivalry.

Meanwhile, as all of the hype goes around, what does the Hall of Famer himself think? Although he hasn’t confirmed anything for now, the prospect doesn’t seem to be too far off the table.

Tiger Woods on Ryder Cup captaincy

During the press conference on Tuesday before the Hero World Challenge, the professional was asked about the possible captaincy rumors floating around. The 82-time PGA Tour champ revealed how he isn’t thinking about the role just yet but is focused on the merger while replying, “Right now there’s too much at stake with our tour to think about a Ryder Cup.”

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Continuing with his reply, he responded that the prestigious event “can take a beat,” as he said, “The players and everyone involved understands that this is an issue we need to focus on.” Moreover, Mr.T emphasized how the Tour needs to “get this done and we have to be focused on this right now.” Can’t blame Woods now, can we?

The community, including many players, would undoubtedly be waiting to see who would lead the two teams in 2025. Many would surely be rooting for the legend to make a positive decision once all the chaos blows over.

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