Tiger Woods: I have a lot of commitments to be captain of the Ryder Cup

TRON, Scotland (Reuters) – Tiger Woods said turning down the chance to captain the U.S. team at next year’s Ryder Cup was a tough decision, but one he had to make because of a myriad of other commitments.

Two-time Ryder Cup player Keegan Bradley will captain the U.S. team when they face Europe at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, on Sept. 26-28, 2025.

“Well, it was a very difficult decision for me to make,” Woods said Tuesday at Royal Troon Golf Club as he prepared for the Open. “My time has been so busy with the tour and everything and what we’re trying to achieve. I’m on a lot of different subcommittees, which takes up a lot of time in the day, and I’m always on the go.”

Woods, 48, is vice chairman of PGA Tour Enterprises and a member of its Transactions Committee, which handles day-to-day negotiations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund over a potential multibillion-dollar investment. Woods is also a player director on the PGA Tour’s Policy Council.

Woods and Rory McIlroy are also the headliners at the TGL Championship presented by SoFi, a technology-driven golf tournament set to begin its inaugural season on Jan. 7.

“I didn’t feel like I could do the job right,” Woods said. “I couldn’t put in enough time. I barely had enough time to do what I do now, and then you have the TGL coming up next year, and the Ryder Cup. If you add all that together, and then with our negotiations with the PIF, and all that going on at exactly the same time, there are only a limited number of hours in the day.”

“I didn’t feel like I could be a leader or perform the duties of the players on Team USA if I was the leader with everything I had to do.”

Woods said he had not spoken to Bradley about being one of his vice-captains.

“I think Keegan will be a great captain,” Woods said. “He’s very passionate about what he does. He’s very passionate about the event. I think this year will be a big transition for us in terms of team captains, whether it’s the captain himself or his vice-captains. I think that’s the natural progression, and that’s what we were looking for, and I think it’s this year.”

Woods has not ruled out becoming a Ryder Cup captain in the future. The 2027 tournament will be held at Adare Manor Golf Course in Ireland, owned by his friend JP McMinnus.

This will be Woods’ first tournament at Royal Troon since finishing ninth in the 2004 Open. He missed the 2016 tournament while recovering from a back injury.

Woods will play the first two rounds with PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay. They will start the first round at 9:37 a.m. ET on Thursday; the second round will begin at 4:25 a.m. ET on Friday.

The 15-time major champion has completed just nine competitive rounds on tour this season. He was forced to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational in February after one round due to illness. At the Masters, he set a tournament record by qualifying for the 24th consecutive time and finished 60th. He has failed to make the playoffs in his last two appearances at the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open.

“I’ve been training a lot better, we’ve been working hard in the gym, which is good,” Woods said. “My body feels better now that I’m able to do these things, and that’s reflected in my performance.” [to] “I can hit the ball better. I can’t stay there during a training session as long as I’d like, but I’m able to do some things that I haven’t done all year, which is nice.”

When asked how long he would continue playing, Woods said: “I’ll play as long as I can, and I feel like I can still win the event.”

Earlier this week, Scottish golfer Colin Montgomerie told The Times of London that it was time for Woods to retire from competitive golf.

“Haven’t we reached that point? I thought we were past it,” Montgomery said. “There’s a time for all athletes to say goodbye, but it’s very hard to say to Tiger that it’s time to go. He obviously still feels like he can win. We’re more realistic.”

Woods was asked about Montgomerie’s comments on Tuesday. Woods noted that as a three-time Claret Jug winner, he is eligible to play in the Open Championship until he is 60. Montgomerie has been a five-time major runner-up but has never won a major.

“Well, as a former champion, I’m exempt until I’m 60,” Woods said. “But Colin’s not. He’s not a former champion, so he’s not exempt. So he doesn’t get a chance to make that decision. I get a chance to make that decision.”