Tiger Woods reportedly turns down offer to be Ryder Cup captain

Tiger Woods looks ahead. Photo Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The U.S. Ryder Cup team is looking to bounce back from last year’s disaster in Italy, but it does not sound like Tiger Woods is going to be the one to assemble the newest squad.

Woods has declined an opportunity to be the captain of the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup team, according to a report from The Telegraph. The 15-time major champion is said to be more focused at the moment on his role in the ongoing merger negotiations between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

The U.S. is hosting next year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y. It is viewed as an inevitability that Woods will one day captain a Ryder Cup team, and golf fans were hopeful that the 48-year-old would be the one to erase the stench of the 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 loss the U.S. suffered in Rome.

Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated reports that it will instead be Keegan Bradley who captains the U.S. team. An official announcement is expected on Tuesday.

Bradley, 36, was left off of last year’s Ryder Cup team by captain Zach Johnson. Many felt that Bradley was deserving of a spot because of his strong Ryder Cup record. The 2011 PGA Championship winner went a combined 4-2 in his two Ryder Cup appearances in 2012 and 2014. The U.S. lost both times, but Bradley and Phil Mickelson went 4-1 together in the two tournaments combined.

There was even more drama than usual surrounding the Ryder Cup last year because of the rift between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. Many fans felt Johnson messed up with his captain’s picks because he did not want certain LIV golfers on the team. Johnson snapped at a fan who heckled him about the loss earlier this year (video here).