Tiger Woods Opens Up About Passing On Ryder Cup Captaincy

It seemed like a certainty that Tiger Woods would become the Ryder Cup captain for the United States, but that won’t be the case next year.

Keegan Bradley will captain Team USA when it takes on Team Europe at the Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York, on Sept. 26, 2025. It will be the first time since 2014 that the New England native will play in the Ryder Cup, and the 38-year-old will be the youngest captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.

Woods hasn’t competed in many tournaments since his car crash in 2021, so it seemed like a natural fit for him to captain Team USA in the Ryder Cup. But the 48-year-old also has other responsibilities in the sport.

“Well, the decision was very difficult for me to make,” Woods told reporters Tuesday at Royal Troon Golf Club before the Open Championship, per ESPN’s Mark Schlabach. “My time has been so loaded with the Tour and everything and what we’re trying to accomplish. I’m on so many different subcommittees that it just takes so much time in the day, and I’m always on calls.”

Woods believes Bradley will be a “great leader” and hasn’t ruled out captaincy for the 2027 Ryder Cup. But along with his duties on the PGA Tour, Woods and Rory McIlroy have the TGL, which begins its inaugural season Jan. 7.

“I just didn’t feel like I could do the job properly,” Woods said. “I couldn’t devote the time. I barely had enough time to do what I’m doing right now, and add in the TGL starts next year, as well as the Ryder Cup. You add all that together and then with our negotiations with the PIF, all that concurrently going on at exactly the same time, there’s only so many hours in the day.”

Woods finished nine competitive rounds on tour this season heading into the Open Championship. At the Masters, he set a tournament record with his 24th consecutive made cut and finished 60th. He missed the cut at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open.