“Would be very surprised”: Phil Mickelson’s unauthorized biographer doubts Ryder Cup captaincy chances in near future

Best-selling author Alan Shipnuck doubts whether Phil Mickelson could be the captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team in the future. The American golfer, who currently plays on LIV Golf, has played in the biennial tournament 12 times.

In a recent episode of Dan on Golf, released Monday, Shipnuck joined Dan Rapaport and discussed Ian Poulter and Phil Mickelson, and whether they could be the captains of a Ryder Cup team. The author of Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar expressed his doubt about the six-time major winner becoming captain and added that the English golfer had a chance. He said:

"I think Phil remains so polarizing. It's going to be hard to ever get him back. Poulter has a chance because of the lads' club in Europe. I mean, he was tight with those guys. There's still some residual good feelings, like, you know, say Rory, who's the most influential voice over there. (1:15:00 onwards)

"They went through the wars together. He came up with McGinley and Bjørn; those guys pretty much run the European Ryder Cup side. I think Poulter has a chance. I would be very surprised if Phil gets rehabilitated in time," he added.

Back in 2022, Phil Mickelson had opened up about the Ryder Cup captaincy on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show. He said (via BBC):

"I don't feel I'm the right guy to be involved with the team. I'm a very divisive character right now, if you will, and I understand that."

This year, Keegan Bradley will be leading Team USA in the Ryder Cup, while Luke Donald will serve as the captain for Team Europe for the second consecutive time. After the 2025 BMW Championship, the names of the six automatic qualifiers for the biennial tournament for the U.S. team have also been announced.

Bryson DeChambeau is the only LIV golfer to make the U.S. team, joining Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, and Harris English. The remaining six players will be selected by the team captain.

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When did Phil Mickelson last play at the Ryder Cup?

Phil Mickelson’s last appearance at the Ryder Cup was in 2018, when it was held at Le Golf National. The European team won the event. He made his debut in the biennial tournament in 1995 and has an overall record of 18-22-7.

Mickelson joined LIV Golf in 2022 and has been active on the circuit. As he is banned from playing on the PGA Tour, he struggled to gain points for qualification for the biennial tournament.

This season on LIV Golf, Mickelson started the campaign at the Adelaide event with a T23 finish. He settled in solo third at the Hong Kong event and T19 in Singapore. Some of his notable finishes are solo sixth in Miami and T4 in Virginia.

Aside from LIV Golf, he also played in the majors but struggled with his game. He missed the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship, and U.S. Open. At the Open Championship, he carded rounds of 70, 72, 76, and 67 to finish T56.