Phil Mickelson Suggests Bringing In Non-Golfer Coach After Team USA Struggled At Ryder Cup

Phil Mickelson might be on to something here.

If you are a golf fan, you know that the 2025 Ryder Cup got ugly. If you aren’t a golf fan, just know that the three day, team match-play event was almost a historic route if it weren’t for a late Sunday surge by Team U.S.A.. The Americans got down early against Europe, and ultimately lost 15 to 13.

The final score makes it seem closer than the tournament actually was… Team Europe was basically in the driver’s seat the entire time:

With the loss this past weekend, Team U.S.A. has lost 9 of the last 12 Ryder Cups. That’s not a rivalry. In other sports, that’s what you call a dynastic run. Team Europe seems to have an edge in the team-based competition – at least as of late – which has Americans trying to figure out what can be changed and modified to make the United States competitive again.

One American, who just happens to have a lot of Ryder Cup playing experience under his belt, might have the right idea.

Phil Mickelson believes that the answer to Team U.S.A.’s struggles could be a change in how the Ryder Cup captaincy is approached. Traditionally, the job of captain is given to a professional golfer that exudes coaching and leadership potential, and traditionally has had success as a past player in the Ryder Cup. This year, the job was given to Keegan Bradley, who could have very well played in the tournament and represented America, and likely would have if he wasn’t the captain.

Many had faith that he was the right man for the job, but not even the fiery, passionate professional golfer could get the job done as the captain.

After a tough, decade-plus-long run of more losses than wins… American golf might need to go back to the drawing board. The captains haven’t had success recently, and Team Europe always seems more cohesive than the U.S. (many draw that up as Europeans playing more team-based tournaments in their youth).

Mickelson has been proposed as the “next captain up” for Team U.S.A., but the LIV golfer has a different idea. He took to social media earlier today to suggest that the American Ryder Cup team look outside of the sport of golf for a captain, and thinks that some of the United States’ best coaches from other sports could breathe some life into Team U.S.A.:

“Here is why looking outside of golf to a Coach K or Lou Holtz is worth exploring. Golf is an individual sport that doesn’t have team work, support system, partnership, team analytics, personality traits, and more. The Europeans have a template that teaches and prepares their captains for these skills.

U.S. has a new template every two years with little continuity. If a Coach K or Lou Holtz or someone similar took over, would it be built upon or would it be scrapped and start over again afterwards? If that’s the case, it would be a waste of time and effort and not worth doing to begin with.”

Here is why looking outside of golf to a coach K or Lou holtz is worth exploring. Golf is an individual sport that doesn’t have team work, support system, partnership, team analytics, personality traits, and more. The Europeans have a template that teaches and prepares their…

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) September 30, 2025

Interesting idea.

You’d have to think that it would help for a coach to at least be familiar with the game of golf to be a Ryder Cup captain. But I do think it’s worth a shot at this point. Plus, it’d be pretty cool to see someone like Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, or Coach Mike Krzyzewski (who has plenty of experience coaching Team U.S.A. basketball) himself coming out of retirement to captain the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

It might even make more sense just to pluck one of the best college golf coaches in the nation to handle the captaincy, just because they would be a) experts of the game and b) better suited to handle team golf, since college golf is more team-based than the pro tour.

Guess only time will tell how the next American Ryder Cup captain is chosen. But for all those people thinking Phil Mickelson would be the easy and sensical next choice… don’t hold your breath. In the same thread of the above point that he made, “Lefty” said that he won’t be the 2027 Ryder Cup captain:

“Flattered, but I am not.”

Flattered, but I am not.

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) September 30, 2025

Welp… if Phil isn’t going to do it, somebody get Coach K on line one.The post Phil Mickelson Suggests Bringing In Non-Golfer Coach After Team USA Struggled At Ryder Cup first appeared on Whiskey Riff.