Phil Mickelson has long been a polarising figure in golf, and that is a big reason why he has ruled himself out of consideration to lead the US Ryder Cup team.
The 54-year-old is not short on Ryder Cup experience. He played in a record 12 teams during his career, and no one on the American side has made more appearances.
But despite that resume, Mickelson does not see himself as the right fit to captain the US side.
Once a highly successful figure, ‘Lefty’ is now more recognised for his social media presence than for his past golfing achievements.
For instance, he recently started a new debate when discussing who should assume Team USA’s captaincy for the next Ryder Cup.
Phil Mickelson backs non-golfer candidates for Ryder Cup captaincy
There is already a lot of pressure on the United States to bounce back from their mistakes at Bethpage.
That process will begin soon, in the build-up to the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland.
In that landscape, Mickelson was responding to a question on X about whether Tiger Woods is the right choice to bring real change, and he offered a different perspective.
He said: “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 teamwork, 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 2 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.”
The US have won only four of the last 15 Ryder Cups, so it could be time for some big changes.
Coach K and Lou Holtz could be perfect for Ryder Cup leadership role
Mike Krzyzewski – better known as Coach K – is one of college basketball’s greatest ever coaches. He led Duke University to five NCAA Division titles during his career.
Meanwhile, Lou Holtz made his name in college football coaching, where he won two national championships.
Both are celebrated leaders who know how to build winning teams across different sports backgrounds.
That is exactly what the US Ryder Cup team needs right now.
The European players naturally play with unity, while that is often missing on the American side.
Europe also has an established blueprint passed down through generations, while America tends to overhaul things every couple of years without clear direction between cycles.
Tiger Woods could bring change, but Phil Mickelson thinks they should go another way – and I agree with him here too.
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