Hey Everyone,

A few quick notes

• Half Swing Series: We’re less than four weeks away from our first Half Swing Series event at Butter Brook on May 30. Two-man aggregate. $150 a person. Sign up with a friend or as a solo and we’ll find a partner for ya! Full details and sign-up here.

• Premium Subscription: I’m adding some midweek posts. If you’ve been here for the last month, you’ve read about Don Forbes at George Wright, 1938 Masters Champion Henry Picard, and Bobby Jones at Franklin Park. Starting this week, those posts will now be for premium subscribers. This week’s post detailed my trip to Miacomet in words and photos. It’s $7 a month or $50 a year. It’s a great way to help support my quest to play every course in Massachusetts. If you’re a free subscriber, this Friday newsletter will always be available. If you’d like a peek at the Miacomet post, here’s a preview. 

• Best Courses for Beginners: In this week’s podcast I give out some courses that are great for beginners. Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Tiger Woods should be the 2025 Ryder Cup Captain in Ireland: It’s the only way to repair his Ryder Cup legacy.

The 2025 Ryder Cup is still 18 months away; it might seem ridiculous that I’m writing about it right now. However, Team USA usually has its captain picked this far ahead of the event. Maybe the possible choices are witnessing Zach Johnson getting dragged through the mud and heckled so badly that the job doesn’t seem too enticing.

But enough about the captain who picked his friends and lost.

Let’s consider what’s at stake going forward.

2025 Bethpage was supposed to be Phil Mickelson’s Ryder Cup moment. Before LIV, an Ian Poulter and Phil Mickelson captainship in New York was a delicious possibility. Poulter, the villain, facing off against New York’s favorite adopted son in Mickelson.

Clearly, LIV has made the game better by stealing that matchup from golf fans.

Now, Luke Donald is lined up to captain Europe for a second straight Ryder Cup and it seems like Tiger Woods is the top choice for Team USA.

Tiger should absolutely not take the job unless it comes as a package deal, and he can also captain Team USA in 2027 in Ireland.

Do I believe Tiger wants the headache of holding that position for three years?

Nope.

He’s too busy. This week, in his newsletter The Quadrilateral, Geoff Shackelford surmised that Tiger might be dragging his feet because the longer he waits, the fewer media and other obligations he will have to fulfill. It’s like a veteran football player sitting out training camp. Running through drill in the August heat is the equivalent of glad-handing with sponsors and picking out uniforms.

The Team USA captain in Bethpage has nothing to gain from that position. The environment is going to be electric and the expectation is that home turf will be protected again. Bethpage will be set up for a Team USA win. Winning the Ryder Cup on home soil just doesn’t matter anymore, and losing as the host will be embarrassing given how the odds are stacked against away teams right now.

The last road victory in the Ryder Cup was at Medinah in 2012, and the last US victory in Europe was in 1993.

Winning a Ryder Cup on the road is getting tougher now that teams can tip the scale in their favor because home teams have complete control over how the course is set up.

So, Tiger Woods at Bethpage moves no needles, and a win wouldn’t add anything to his legacy because they should win at home. Losing would highlight the one gap in Tiger’s resume—a poor Ryder Cup record.

However, Tiger Woods in Ireland would be epic. It would give him a chance to alter his own personal Ryder Cup narrative. He was never a great Ryder Cup player. He played during European domination, and he never won as a player in Europe.

I have friends who don’t think that winning as a captain matters, but I disagree. The image of a 49-year-old Tiger Woods bathed in champagne on an Adare Manor balcony celebrating with players who grew up watching him would be incredible and indelible.

If Tiger wants a Ryder Cup captaincy that will truly add to his career, he should either do it in Ireland or sign on for the next two Ryder Cups and make an effort to shift the event’s momentum.

Double Click(s)

1. Amazing picture from Alaska. No notes.

2. Talor Gooch is not going to bother qualifying for the U.S. Open. Could you imagine having the talent to qualify for the U.S. Open while also having the bravado to claim a Rory McIlroy major win would have an asterisk because you’re not in the field…. Gooch’s teammates are flying all over the world to qualify and Gooch… isn’t…

3. Jimmy Butler remains a clown without a championship ring… enjoy vacation, pal.

4. Tiger’s Sun Day Red apparel is now for sale. The cheapest polo is $120, and you can grab a leather glove for $45. The cheapest item I could find was a rope hat for $40. I don’t think there will be any podcast promo codes anytime soon… Shop here!

5. Sad news about Peter Oosterhuis. Someone I remember listening to for many years. Didn’t realize he was such an excellent golfer.

Join Bay State Golf’s Premium Subscription and get additional writing, photos, and videos.

What does a Premium Subscription get?

Additional posts

Ability to comment on posts

4 exclusive videos a year

Tee time offerings to join me on my quest

When I’m not golfing…

I’m reading…

• I thought Philly fans were diehards. Their stadium was infiltrated by Knicks fans during game four. The ownership has to buy 2,000 tickets and give them out to first responders so it doesn’t happen in game 6? Sheesh. Bad look for a group of people that boo Santa Claus…to pile it on, the Sixers lost game six and will join Jimmy Butler on vacation.

• Mike Gorman has been calling Celtics games since before I was born. I was happy to be in the stadium on Wednesday when he signed off for the final time. What a legend.

• I love the Kentucky Derby. It’s on my bucket list of events I’d love to attend. However, horse racing is in a very odd place right now after the death of so many horses at Churchill Downs last year.

I’m listening to…

• If you like college golf (or are in need of a sleep aid…) Texas coach John Fields is a delight to listen to. I enjoyed his appearance on the College Golf Podcast.

• This Chasing Scratch episode hit pretty hard. Injuries, getting old, MRIs, self-doubt. You could listen even if you’ve never heard these guys before. Two friends leaning on each other and helping each other out. Listen here.

I’m eating…

• One old recipe and one new one.

  1) Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken always slaps. Make it.

  2) San Francisco-Style Vietnamese American Garlic Noodles. These noodles were easy and incredible. Make it. There’s also a great video of how to make them on the recipe page.

• Had a lot of time in the car this week. Ate like a monster. A few highlights:

  • McDonalds 2 cheeseburger value meal - Don’t judge me.

  • Hostess Donettes - The chocolate-covered ones.

  • Beef Jerky - A bit pricey, but the best version of

I’m watching…

• We’ve been watching Sugar on AppleTV. It’s a clever LA crime show starring Colin Farrell and Amy Ryan. Episodes are around 30 min. which is kind of great. Watch the trailer.

Old stuff: 

I'm (shamelessly) plugging...

• A list of golf courses open in the winter.

• Bay State Picks: Best courses you can walk for less than $60.

• Bay State Picks: Nine-hole courses to play before or after work

• Bay State Picks: 18 public golf that is worth your time

• Bay State Picks: Easy 18-hole public walks

• Bay State Deep Dive: Myopia Hunt Club

   

• "On Course" New England Journal Podcast

  • LISTEN HERE (and subscribe!)

  • WATCH HERE (and subscribe!)

• Amateur Golf Podcast

  • LISTEN HERE (and subscribe!)

New here? Subscribe below.