Tiger Woods is open to being a Ryder Cup captain in the future but declined an offer ahead of 2025, while Rory McIlroy has no plans to hold the position due to “too much work”
Ryder Cup captaincy has been turned down by both Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, although they’ve rejected the opportunity for different reasons.
A McIlroy vs. Woods showdown as captains for Team Europe and Team USA respectively would be a dream for golf fans, but it’s extremely unlikely after both athletes offered their reasoning for rejecting the prestigious honor. Woods declined an offer to become Team USA captain for the upcoming Ryder Cup as he didn’t think it would be practical given his commitments elsewhere.
“With my new responsibilities to the (PGA) Tour and time commitments involved, I felt like I would not be able to commit the time to Team USA and the players required as a captain,” Woods said via a PGA of America statement released on Tuesday. Despite declining the role for 2025, he did hint that it could be something he considers in the future. That does not mean I wouldn’t want to captain a team in the future. If and when I feel it is the right time, I will put my hat in the ring for this committee to decide.”
McIlroy on the other hand was a top candidate to be Team Europe player-captain for the Ryder Cup in 2027 or 2029, but he rejected the opportunity due to “too much work” being required. While Woods’ days as a player at the Ryder Cup are behind him at this stage of his career, McIlroy simply does not want to jeopardize playing in the competition.
“There’s too much work that goes into it,” McIlroy said. “I’ve seen what Luke (Donald) went through preparing for Rome. There’s no way you can be as good a captain as you need to be and be playing as well.
“It’s been mentioned, and I’ve just said, ‘No way.’ If you want to be the best captain you can be, you can’t play. And if you want to be the best player you can be, you can’t captain. It’s one or the other. Especially with how big the Ryder Cup has become and how many things you have to do in the lead-up to the event, the week of the event.”
After Woods declined the offer for the upcoming Ryder Cup, it was then announced that Keegan Bradley would be Team USA’s captain. It was a major U-turn after Bradley missed out on the Ryder Cup completely in 2023, but the 38-year-old was extremely touched by the decision.
Keegan Bradley was humbled after being made Team USA captain ( Image: Getty Images)
“Well, I’m incredibly humbled and honored to be the Ryder Cup captain for Team USA,” Bradley said. “Being on a Ryder Cup team changes your life forever. Being in the room with those guys and feeling the extreme pressure of this tournament will change you.
“The dream of being a Ryder Cup captain is something that a lot of us don’t even think about because it’s so, such a prestigious honor, and I never knew if I would get this opportunity. I always felt like this is something that I would love to do and be able to handle, and I’m so honored to be able to be the leader of this team and going to Bethpage to win the Ryder Cup back for America.”
The decision left some fans surprised, and even McIlroy admitted he thought it was an “interesting” pick. Whether it’s early mind games from McIlroy or a genuine take on the announcement, the Team Europe star weighed in on the selection.
“Yeah, definitely I think a surprise for everyone,” McIlroy said Thursday after the opening round of the Scottish Open. “I mean, it’s certainly a departure from what the U.S. has done over the last few years. Time will tell if that’s a good thing or not. I think Keegan was probably in disbelief, at some point, too, but certainly an interesting pick.”
