The recent Travelers Championship turned out to be an action-packed event. Tommy Fleetwood led for 71 holes at the TPC River Highlands before an unfortunate birdie at the last hole, which saw the Team USA captain Keegan Bradley for the Ryder Cup emerge victorious. Bradley’s victory, which has been a long time coming, has opened a new can of worms.
The 2011 PGA Championship winner moved to seventh in the Official World Golf Rankings and also vaulted himself to ninth in the Official Ryder Cup rankings for Team USA. That begs the million-dollar question. Should Keegan Bradley play despite being the captain of the Team? Various thoughts and opinions have been thrown around to find a resolute answer to this question.
The newest? Adding more experience to the ranks. Maybe a vice-captain who is seasoned and knows the event really well. Brendan Porath on the Eye on Golf show suggested one name – Phil Mickelson. “I want to seriously suggest that Keegan should put Phil Mickelson in as an assistant captain,” Porath stated.
This suggestion from Porath comes at a time when there is no assurance regarding a possible PGA Tour-LIV Golf deal in the works. Mickelson, who was one of the first to make the jump to the Saudi-backed circuit, will not be an easy addition, especially considering the friction that has been going on since the latter’s inception. “I think he should reach across the aisle. I think now is the time, we heard so much discourse earlier this year about how the game needs to unify and come together,” Porath added.
Phil Mickelson would make a great Ryder Cup Captain if Keegan Bradley would rather compete. pic.twitter.com/TbVKm4ZEhi
— LIV Golf Nation (@LIVGolfNation) June 25, 2025
“Phil is kind of an outcast in golf establishment circles these days, and maybe by his own doing. I just feel like it’s a three-day opportunity. He throws himself into these things like this. Can we snap him out of this hypnosis?” Porath further professed.
Mickelson has played at the Bethpage Black Course in New York five times, including two runner-up appearances at the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Open. He has also made 12 appearances in the Ryder Cup, winning three times. Mickelson provides a strict balance that might be the answer for Team USA. “He knows Keegan well, he knows the Ryder Cup well, he knows Bethpage well. The connection to Keegan is significant.” Porath added.
Of course, there is one more experienced name. The great Tiger Woods. But that is not as straightforward as it seems.
Tiger Woods shies away from Ryder Cup commitment
“With my new responsibilities to the TOUR 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.” With this statement, Tiger Woods had already made it clear ahead of the 2024 Open Championship that he wouldn’t be available for the Ryder Cup. But Frankie and Trent of ForePlay Podcast Plus have some thoughts regarding the situation.
“What better way to get Tiger Woods involved than to be like, ‘Hey listen, Keegan has handled all of this administrative stuff that you’re not that keen on doing. All you got to do, my friend, is get that private jet to Beth Page, Long Island, in September, show up, be the Terminator, motivate all these guys, and Keegan’s just going to play and focus on that,” Trent said.
These are decisions that might be taken over the next few months, but fans are eagerly awaiting them. Do you think Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods would be a good addition to the Team USA Ryder Cup?
