Tiger Woods turns down chance to captain Team USA in 2025, breaks silence on Ryder Cup snob comments
Tiger Woods says he turned down the opportunity to captain Team USA at the 2025 Ryder Cup because he didn’t have the time.
But the 15-time major champion insists he’s ready for the role in the future. Keegan Bradley was named this week as the United States captain for the 2025 tournament in New York.
“With my new responsibilities to the Tour and the time commitments that entails, I felt I would not be able to dedicate the time to Team USA and the players that is needed as captain,” Woods said in a statement. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to be a team captain in the future. When the time is right, I’ll throw my hat in the ring for this committee to make a decision.”
Bradley’s surprise selection as captain was revealed on Tuesday. The world number 19 said he told Woods he was free to attend as many tournaments as he wanted next year.
But Bradley insisted he had not yet spoken to the 48-year-old about the possibility of taking over as vice-captain as the United States seeks to avenge last year’s crushing victory in Rome. Woods played with eight riders, and his beginning returned in 1997. The 48-year-old Woods was an alternate captain at Hazeltine in 2016 and is in negotiations with the PGA of America to replace Zach Johnson next September. He previously led Team USA to victory in the 2019 Presidents Cup but was unable to reach a deal to play in Europe at Bethpage Black Stadium next year. Team Europe announced in November that Luke Donald, who led Rory McIlroy and co to a 16.5-11.5 victory in Rome, would return as captain.
Woods questioned his willingness to return to the role in May, citing his involvement in negotiations between the PGA Tour and the Saudi PIF. The 48-year-old, who has been at the center of lengthy negotiations, said before the PGA Championship in May: “I dedicate a lot of my time to my work on the PGA Tour, so I don’t want to miss out on the role of captain if I can’t.
He added: “When it comes to representing Team USA and fulfilling my obligations to the PGA of America, the players and the fans, I need to feel that I can give him the time he deserves. »
PGA of America chairman Seth Waugh said at the time that the committee was respecting Woods’ other commitments.
“We’ve been negotiating for a number of months,” he said. I have also talked in the Rider Cup Committee, and many people talk about the list of potential captains and potential captains. Tiger was clearly clear. “I think we all know he can be incredibly focused, and that’s one of his many superpowers – the ability to dig in and make decisions.
“And he never does anything without giving it his all, and we totally respect that. And he’s got a lot going on right now. He’s very active, obviously, on the PGA Tour side.
