John Daly for U.S. Ryder Cup 2027 captain?
The 59-year-old two-time major winner threw his hat in the ring during an interview recently with Hard Rock Bet, one of his sponsors. He called never playing in the Ryder Cup despite being a two-time major winner his biggest regret.
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“My ancestors are from Cork. I’d love to be a captain one day,” said Daly. The 2027 Ryder Cup is slated to be played in Ireland at Adare Manor. But not even Daly is holding his breath that he might get the nod.
John Daly of Dardenelle, Arkansas drives his ball down the No. 10 fairway during the first round of the 2025 Kaulig Companies Championship at Firestone Country Club, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Akron, Ohio.
“But that ain’t never going to happen. But Tiger would be an unbelievable captain. I would love to be a co-captain or just be a part of it somehow.
“I feel like I should have been on two teams, but it just didn’t happen. I didn’t play good enough, so I didn’t get on them. But to be a part of the Ryder Cup would be something I would love to do, whether it’s a co-captain or just be a part of it. I’d love to see it, put my input in, and hopefully help the guys. I think it’d be an experience for me that I’ve always dreamed of doing ever since I won the PGA Championship in 1991.”
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Daly can’t do much worse: the U.S. has lost two straight and 11 of the last 14 Cups. Perhaps he would loosen up Team USA. A Tiger-Daly ticket might actually be popular enough for the presidency in 2028.
While even Daly conceded that his chances are slim to none, he had an interesting take on why the U.S. struggled the first two days at Bethpage Black.
“I just don’t think you should put a long hitter with a shorter hitter. I think your shorter hitters that we have, that I’ve always seen, are grinders, and I’d rather be feeding off a guy that’s hitting as far as I am,” he said. “Especially in an alternate shot. They’re going to be a little behind some of the guys, but if you take Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, they’re not the longest hitters in the world, but man, they got it going when they played the alternate shots.
“When they were partners, they really did really well. They fed off each other; they clubbed off each other. But if you have a short hitter with Bryson DeChambeau, you can’t club off Bryson. Only a long hitter can. I think that was a mistake, but other than that, my hat’s off to our team for coming back the way they did with our singles matches. It would have been the biggest comeback ever, and they almost pulled it off, and God bless them.”
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Daly also said that Team Europe is more invested in the Ryder Cup than the Americans – and for the right reasons.
“They get behind it, they take a week off, and they all go practice, and they get used to that better ball,” Daly said. “I think our team just needs to become more of a family and really get behind the United States of America—the flag—and not worry about what we can get out of it. For me, personally, I just want that Ryder Cup trophy.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: John Daly wants to be U.S. Ryder Cup captain in 2027
