Tiger Woods Declines Ryder Cup Captaincy

Tiger Woods has recently revealed his decision to turn down the U.S. Ryder Cup captaincy for 2025, citing an inability to commit the necessary time to the role due to his extensive responsibilities within the PGA Tour and his dealings with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.

Speaking at Royal Troon ahead of this week’s British Open, Woods explained the difficult decision. “My time has been so loaded with the Tour and everything we’re trying to accomplish,” Woods said. “I’m on so many different subcommittees that it just takes so much time in the day, and I’m always on calls. I told Seth [Waugh, the retiring CEO of the PGA of America] that I just didn’t feel like I could do the job properly. I couldn’t devote the time. I barely have enough time to do what I’m doing right now.”

Woods emphasized the concurrent demands of his various roles, including the start of TGL next year and ongoing negotiations with the PIF, as factors in his decision. “There’s only so many hours in the day,” he remarked. “I just didn’t feel like I would be doing the captaincy or the players in Team USA justice if I was the captain with everything that I have to do.”

Despite stepping back from the captaincy, Woods expressed strong support for Keegan Bradley, who was named captain on July 8. “I think Keegan is going to be a great leader,” Woods said. “He’s very passionate about what he does. He’s very passionate about the event. I think this is going to be probably a turnover year for us for the captaincies, whether it’s the captain itself and his vice captains. I think this is the natural progression, one we’ve been looking forward to, and I think it’s that year.”

Bradley, a six-time PGA Tour winner, shared his enthusiasm for Woods’ involvement, saying, “I have told him he can be as involved as he wants to be. We, as players, all look up to Tiger and his opinion means a lot to us. Being in team rooms with Tiger, the public doesn’t realize how important this is to him. It’s everything. He lives and breathes this event.”

Woods has not yet been asked to be a vice captain, and he remains noncommittal about future involvement. However, Bradley values Woods’ input greatly. “Before I accepted this job, I needed to talk to Tiger and I wanted to hear from him. We had a great conversation. I certainly need his input,” Bradley said.

Looking further ahead, there is speculation about Woods potentially taking on the captaincy for the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland, a venue with personal significance due to his friendship with Irish philanthropist J.P. McManus. Woods acknowledged the possibility but stressed the need to assess his workload at the time.

“I’ll put my hat in the ring again when I have more time and I feel like I can devote myself to a Ryder Cup,” Woods stated. “As of right now, I’ve got so many different things I’m juggling and trying to get right at the same time for all the players that are a part of the PGA Tour. It’s one of those things where you just can’t get it wrong.”

As Tiger Woods continues to navigate his multiple roles, his dedication to the sport and leadership within the golfing community remain evident. The balance he seeks between competing, leading, and driving the sport into the future are a testament to his unmatched dedication to the game.