Phil Mickelson is one of the most successful Ryder Cup players of all time, having amassed 21.5 points at the biennial match from his 12 playing appearances, while he also enjoyed a successful stint as a Team USA vice captain in 2021.
However, while ordinarily he would seem a natural choice for the captaincy at Bethpage Black in 2025, these are no ordinary times in the game, with Mickelson’s comments on the PGA Tour in the build-up to the launch of LIV Golf and subsequent move to the circuit proving hugely controversial.
Because of that, it’s highly likely that the Americans will look elsewhere to lead the team next year, and Mickelson has admitted that he is too divisive a character to take on the role.
The 53-year-old appeared on The Pat McAfee Show, where he was asked if he had any interest in becoming the captain at the match next year. He replied: “I’ve had 12, 13 opportunities to be a part of the Ryder Cup, 12 as a player one is a vice captain and I’ve loved every minute of it and cherish those moments, those life experiences.
“I don’t feel I’m the right guy to be involved in the team because I’m a very divisive character right now, if you will. And I understand that the players on the PGA Tour, there’s a lot of hostilities towards me, and I don’t think I’d be the best leader for them going forward.
“I think that as a Ryder Cup captain, you have to be kind of a unifier and have these relationships solidified and somebody that you want to follow, and right now I’ve been very divisive and I’m OK with that. I knew that was going to be the case. I knew that it was going to take a couple of years and that I was going to take a lot of hits and a lot of divisiveness.”
Mickelson was a vice-captain at the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, which the US won 19-9
The Americans will need to regroup for the contest after being soundly beaten by Luke Donald’s Europeans at Marco Simone last October, and Mickelson thinks someone other than him should embrace the challenge. He continued: “It’s time for other people to be able to create their own memories, opportunities and life experiences that the Ryder Cup provides.”
Mickelson also offered his thoughts on Jon Rahm's move to LIV Golf, and explained it had been an important factor in helping bring clarity to attempts to mend the rifts at the top of the game. He said: "With Jon Rahm signing on, what it's done is create a bridge and an opportunity for us to come together because the realization is: LIV isn't going away."
"I don't have a lot of answers on where they are with the PGA and LIV merger..Jon Rahm signing on has really created a bridge for us to come together" @PhilMickelson #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/FKCPjosL06January 10, 2024
He also gave his thoughts on how he sees LIV Golf fitting into the game’s ecosystem in the future. He said: "I just know the vision of what Yasir [Al-Rumayyan] has for the game of golf and is working hard to bring that vision together.
"There's a place for LIV as well, and there's a place for a fun, edgier, louder presentation in golf... and [LIV and the PGA] should be working together for the greater good."
