Troon, Scotland — Tiger Woods He said it was difficult to turn down the opportunity to captain next year’s U.S. Ryder Cup team, but he had to turn it down because of many other commitments.
Keegan BradleyPlayers who have played in two Ryder Cups: American Captain They will compete against European teams from September 26-28, 2025 at the Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York.
“Well, it was a very difficult decision for me to make,” Woods said Tuesday at Royal Troon Golf Club, where he is preparing for the British Open. “My time is filled with the tour and everything else we’re trying to accomplish. I’m on a lot of subcommittees so it takes up a lot of time in my day and I’m on the phone all the time.”
Woods, 48, is vice chairman of the board of directors for PGA Tour Enterprises and a member of the transaction committee responsible for day-to-day negotiations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund about a potential multibillion-dollar investment. Woods also serves as player director on the PGA Tour’s policy committee.
Woods and Rory McIlroy They also are the frontmen for SoFi’s TGL, a technology-enabled golf league that is set to begin its inaugural season on January 7th.
“I just didn’t feel like I could get the job done,” Woods said. “I just couldn’t make the time. There just wasn’t enough time to do what I was doing and then you add in the start of the Tournament League next year and the Ryder Cup. You put all that together, negotiations with the PIF going on at the exact same time, so there’s only so many hours in the day.”
“I felt like if I was doing everything that I had to do as captain, I wouldn’t be doing justice to my role as captain and to the players on the U.S. national team.”
Woods said he hasn’t had any discussions with Bradley about being one of the alternate captains.
“I think Keegan will be a great leader,” Woods said. “He’s very passionate about what he does. He’s very passionate about this event. I think this will probably be the year that we transition into captaincy, whether it’s the captain himself or the vice captain. It’s a natural progression and something that we’ve been waiting for and I think this will be the year.”
Woods has not ruled out becoming a future Ryder Cup captain, with the 2027 tournament being held at Adare Manor Golf Course in Ireland, owned by his friend JP McManus.
Woods will be playing at Royal Troon for the first time since finishing tied for ninth at the 2004 British Open. He missed the 2016 tournament while recovering from a back injury.
Woods will play first two rounds against PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele and Patrick CantlayThe first round tee-off will take place at 9:37 a.m. ET on Thursday, with the second round getting underway at 4:25 a.m. ET on Friday.
The 15-time major champion has completed just nine rounds on tour this season, having been forced to withdraw in the first round of the Genesis Invitational in February due to illness. He finished 60th at the Masters after setting a tournament record by making the cut in 24 consecutive tournaments. He has missed the cut in the past two PGA Championships and the U.S. Open.
“My training’s gotten a lot better,” Woods said. “I’ve been working pretty hard in the gym, so it’s been good. I’m in better shape and I’m able to do those things and it’s showing in the results.” [to] I’m hitting the ball better. I don’t get to play as long as I want to in practice, but I’m able to do some things that I haven’t been able to do all year, so I’m happy about that.”
When asked how long he plans to keep playing, Woods replied, “As long as I can play, I’ll play. I still feel like I can win.”
Earlier this week, Scottish golfers Colin Montgomerie Woods told The Times of London that the time has come for him to retire from competitive golf.
“I thought he was almost there,” Montgomery said. “Every sportsman has to say goodbye, but it’s very hard to tell Tiger he’s done. Obviously he still feels he can win. We’re more realistic.”
Woods was asked Tuesday about Montgomerie’s comments, in which he said that as a three-time Claret Jug winner he is eligible to play in the British Open until age 60. Montgomerie has been runner-up in five major championships but has never won a Grand Slam tournament.
“Well, I’m a former champion, so I’m exempt until I’m 60,” Woods said. “Colin’s not. He’s not exempt because he’s not a former champion. So he doesn’t have the opportunity to make that decision. I do.”
