5 Top Candidates To Be USA's Next Ryder Cup Captain

The PGA of America appointing Keegan Bradley as 2025 Ryder Cup captain was a huge shock, so who knows which way they'll go next time.

At 39, Bradley is the youngest Team USA captain since Arnold Palmer led the side in 1963 aged just 34, and could signal a changing of the guard.

It certainly looks that way judging by Bradley's Bethpage Black backroom staff, with only Jim Furyk having any Ryder Cup leadership experience and Kevin Kisner and Gary Woodland never even having played in the event previously.

So when the Ryder Cup returns to Europe in 2027 at Adare Manor who will be leading the USA? They've not won in Europe since 1993 so it's a huge decision, will they go for experience or will one of the new crop take up the challenge?

Due to the current situation we've excluded Phil Mickelson and any other LIV Golf stars who might otherwise have been considered.

Tiger Woods

He was offered the captaincy in 2025 but turned it down due his involvement on the various boards and committees shaping the future of the PGA Tour, so you'd think Tiger Woods would be the PGA of America's first choice for Ireland.

After all, it's a huge task as the USA haven't won on European soil since 1993 and their overall record since 1979 reads just two wins and a tie from 11 Ryder Cups. That record is just awful.

So who better to lift the team and break that wretched run than the biggest name in golf? He'd certainly carry that aura around him.

Woods had experience as a Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup assistant before leading the USA as player-captain for the 2019 Presidents Cup, so also has that in his favor.

He's the clear top choice if he feels he has the time.

Keegan Bradley

Could the USA take a leaf out of Europe's playbook? If Keegan Bradley does the business at Bethpage Black then why not run it back at Adare Manor?

Luke Donald doesn't necessarily have to win in New York to make it the right choice as he did such a good job in Rome and going back-to-back can really help with preparation for the far more difficult away leg.

So as long as Europe put up a decent fight but Bradley's boys prevail then they would feel relatively comfortable with selecting him again.

Having just won a Ryder Cup and being able to quickly put any lessons learned straight into play for the next one must be a huge advantage - and the Americans could use one with their away record.

If Woods says no again then a victorious Bradley would make a sensible choice. Bradley also has Irish roots with his great grandparents both originally from the country.

Brandt Snedeker

If the USA are starting a new guard then bringing Brandt Snedeker through from a vice-captain at Bethpage to captain at Adare Manor would seem to fit the bill.

Snedeker played well in his two Ryder Cups, even going an unbeaten 3-0-0 in America's emphatic 17-11 victory at Hazeltine in 2016.

He's also slated to be the 2026 Presidents Cup captain after being vice-captain in 2024 and while it's unusual to double up so quickly, the PGA of America has proven it doesn't mind the unconventional route by selecting Bradley for this year.

With an away Ryder Cup so intense, maybe having Snedeker basically doing a double captaincy and having that trial run at the Presidents Cup could end up being a winning formula.

Webb Simpson

The first vice-captain named by Keegan Bradley for Bethpage was Webb Simpson, was that just the captain's instinct or did the PGA of America give him the nod that Simpson was considered a contender for 2027?

He's also been a Presidents Cup vice-captain and has plenty of playing experience from three appearances in both the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup, so knows his way around.

He could work closely with Snedeker and have more of a watching brief for next year's Presidents Cup while having all his focus on the Ryder Cup the year after.

Steve Stricker

If the PGA of America opts to go for more experience considering winning away is so tough, then Steve Stricker could be the go-to option.

He was part of the team for five straight Ryder Cups, with three vice-captaincies before being captain in 2021 and then back to vice-captain in Rome last time.

While his run ending this year could signal the end of his involvement, he was such a success in 2021 that if the USA somehow come unstuck at Bethpage then they could turn to Stricker to get them back on track.

They're unlikely to give it to an untested Kevin Kisner or Gary Woodland so soon and although Jim Furyk is hugely experienced his captaincy in Paris was a bit of a disaster.

That would leave Stricker as the pick of the bunch.