Ryder Cup
PGA Championship 2024: Tiger Woods unsure if he has the time to be American Ryder Cup captain
Jamie Squire
LOUISVILLE — Tiger Woods is the leading candidate to helm the United States at the 2025 Ryder Cup, but he asserted Tuesday that it is far from a certainty that he'll take the job.
Speaking to the media at Valhalla ahead of this week’s PGA Championship, Woods said that while he talked to PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh after the Masters regarding the American captaincy, nothing has been determined as far as his role for next year’s match against Europe, going so far to raise doubt on taking the job.
“We're still talking. There's nothing that has been confirmed yet,” Woods said. “We're still working on what that might look like. Also whether or not I have the time to do it. I'm dedicating so much time to what we're doing with the PGA Tour, I don't want to not fulfill the role of the captaincy if I can't do it.”
Woods is referring to his roles on the boards of the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Enterprises, along with his position on the tour's transaction team, all of which have been focused on the tour’s potential deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. One of the architects of the framework agreement, Jimmy Dunne, resigned this week, citing a lack of “meaningful” progress on a deal.
“What that all entails and representing Team USA and the commitments to the PGA of America, the players, and the fans and as I said, all of Team USA,” Woods continued. “I need to feel that I can give the amount of time that it deserves.”
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Captains are usually named 20 months in advance of the Ryder Cup, and the Europeans have already brought back winning 2023 captain Luke Donald. Multiple sources familiar with the situation tell Golf Digest that Stewart Cink will receive consideration should Woods pass on the role.
The 2025 Ryder Cup begins Sept. 26 at Bethpage Black. The Europeans are the defending champs, but the Americans have won three of the last four Ryder Cups contested in the United states. Woods has played on eight Ryder Cup teams, boasting a 13-21-3 record. He previously captained the United States at the 2019 Presidents Cup, which the Americans won.