Lexi Thompson in Vegas Feels Desperate, but Captain Tiger Woods Would Bring Stability

John Hawkins writes that Thompson’s spot at the PGA Tour event this week is a publicity stunt, but Woods’s future Ryder Cup captaincy would be Team USA’s best move. Plus, quick thoughts on a new book on the PGA Tour–LIV Golf saga.

Lexi Thompson has been in the news for mostly the wrong reasons in 2023, first as a slumping star, then as a highly questionable qualifier for the U.S. Solheim Cup team, then as one of four Americans ever to face Europe three consecutive times without registering a victory. Although she went 3–1 in Spain last month and has posted a pair of top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour since, Thompson’s participation at this week’s PGA Tour event in Las Vegas is a leap without logic—the silliest of the 12 attempts by a woman to play against men since Annika Sörenstam took the plunge in ’03.

It’s not an issue of gender so much as it is current form. The downside opposed to the upside, the risk versus reward. Thompson’s competitive psyche has gone through the wringer in what has become her worst season as a professional. A year of steep decline after a decade of relative excellence, which gave her the name recognition the Las Vegas tournament is now employing for its own commercial purposes.

A struggling female player coming to the aid of a FedEx Cup Fall gathering in desperate need of attention? C’mon, fellas! Wasn’t this stretch of the schedule preserved to provide opportunity for the PGA Tour fringe—guys looking to strengthen their status for 2024? How many tickets will Lexi Thompson sell? Will her presence warrant any measure of increased visibility on a national scale? At a lower-rung Tour event relegated to cable television in the heart of football season, do those auxiliary factors even matter?

Sörenstam’s appearance at Colonial 20 years ago was historic and heartwarming. Michelle Wie’s eight starts at the game’s highest level were irrefutably interesting, and she almost made the cut twice. Like so many other ideas worth a shot once upon a time, Lexi + Las Vegas = the point of diminishing returns. A lethargic sideshow with weak fiscal overtones. An ill-advised reach for a prominent golfer still trying to regain traction at her own level.

“It actually could hurt her more than help,” a highly informed observer assessed. “She’s just getting back on track. Why now?”

Thompson and Woods are both headline-grabbers, but Captain Woods is an idea that also makes perfect sense / USA Today

Why now? When it comes to the flummoxing failures of U.S. Ryder Cup teams, the question always seems relevant, which is why Tiger Woods should be summoned to duty as soon as practically possible. His own lousy career record against Europe (13-23-3) notwithstanding, Woods’s aura and leadership skill come with multiple positive dimensions. The PGA of America would be wise to invest in those qualities and ask Tiger to captain the next two squads with an eye on a long-term commitment.

This one-and-done thing hasn’t worked with U.S. skippers for a while now. That task force appointed to solve Uncle Sam’s Ryder Cup shortcomings has had little or no impact on the big picture, which is what task forces are assigned to accomplish. Given the shortage of realistic candidates who possess the proper credentials and maintain strong ties with America’s top golfers, the time has come for Woods to assume control of the operation on an extended basis.

The longer you think about it, the more you realize there isn’t another viable option. With Tiger in charge, there wouldn’t be any behind-the-curtain grumbling about getting paid to participate in the matches. If it did persist, Woods would either figure out a way to resolve the matter or find more appreciative players to wear the USA cap. Success runs through his bloodstream. He piloted the 2019 Presidents Cup squad to a hard-fought victory in Australia—any win on the road sounds pretty good these days—despite losing Brooks Koepka, his best player, to injury.

Amid the recycling of flawed ideas and predictable, systematic strategy, Woods’s appointment would bring consistency to the program, something U.S. captains as a group have been unable to produce. Tiger’s accomplishments as a player alone make him worthy of a two-term tenure at the least; his iconic status among today’s young stars would lift incentive to a level at which motivation could no longer be questioned.

Davis Love III recently said the the job is Tiger’s if he wants it. Make him an offer he can’t refuse—an unprecedented opportunity to a man of unparalleled greatness. It’s hard to imagine the game’s ultimate champion turning down a chance to reverse his Ryder Cup legacy. Or as someone once adopted as a political slogan, make America great again.

Alan Shipnuck’s latest book arrived on my doorstep last week, somewhat unannounced but highly welcomed despite its unsavory subject. LIV and Let Die isn’t just a great title—the illustration on the front jacket is killer in itself. As for the contents inside, Shipnuck doesn’t disappoint. His uncluttered writing style and sense of topical priority infuse a vivacious disposition to the conflict golf’s universe absolutely loves to hate.

The plan here is to explore LIV and Let Die in greater detail next week, complements of an interview with the author himself, but until then, an overview of Shipnuck’s work is wholly justifiable. This book might not sell half as many copies as has Phil, his 2022 bestseller on pro golf’s league-leaping lefthander, but if Mickelson was a highly polarizing public figure, the war between the PGA Tour and its Saudi-funded rival lands heavily on the side of across-the-board abhorrence.

Some people won’t buy this book out of sheer principle. Others surely assess the topic as overplayed or just plain boring, a sentiment Shipnuck seemed to realize when he took on the project. His reporting is exhaustive, his attention to detail fresh and unfrivolous, but what makes this publication so appealing is its pace. It sticks and moves like a young Cassius Clay, covering the angles without getting ponderous or cumbersome.

There are plenty of f-bombs and behind-the-scenes anecdotes—stuff even an aging golf writer never absorbed in day-to-day coverage of the conflict. Amid those explosive syllables, however, lies an impartial perspective on perhaps the most complicated occurrence in the history of pro golf. Shipnuck takes you inside the rooms where decisions were made without trying to interpret the magnitude of those monumental moments.

Unless you succumb to preconceived notions, it’s a terrific read for any true golf fan.