Tiger Woods explains why he won’t captain 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup Team

Tiger Woods declined the opportunity to captain the U.S. Team at next fall’s Ryder Cup, but he’s open to the role in the future.

Woods, who served as playing captain for the U.S. Team at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, was the long-anticipated front-runner to captain the 2025 U.S. Team at Bethpage Black. Woods said at this year’s PGA Championship at Valhalla that discussions with the PGA of America to captain the U.S. Team were ongoing. Ultimately though, Woods’ increased responsibilities as a member of the PGA TOUR Policy Board and PGA TOUR Enterprises Board of Directors, among other factors, meant he wasn’t confident in his ability to give the role his full attention. Keegan Bradley was announced Monday as the 2025 Ryder Cup captain for the U.S. Team.

“With my new responsibilities to the TOUR and time commitments involved, I felt like I would not be able to commit the time to Team USA and the players required as a captain,” Woods said in a statement released Tuesday by the PGA of America. “That does not mean I wouldn’t want to captain a team in the future. If and when I feel it is the right time, I will put my hat in the ring for this committee to decide."

Woods is a part of Bethpage Black lore, having won the 2002 U.S. Open at the New York City-area public venue. He’s still competing in major championships but will never return to a full playing schedule on TOUR after suffering severe injuries to both legs in a 2021 car crash and then undergoing ankle surgery in April 2023, among various ailments. Hence the 2025 captaincy in New York seemed to make sense, and Woods strongly considered the role. The 82-time TOUR winner has competed in eight Ryder Cups and has steadily embraced a role as a mentor to younger players in recent years.

Although this wasn’t the right time for Woods, the future could be.