Tiger Woods confirmed that a lack of time and an absence of the necessary commitment required to captain the U.S. Ryder Cup team kept him from accepting the position for next year’s tournament at Bethpage Black.

However, he was unwilling to say he’d never captain the Americans in the future.

After Keegan Bradley was named Captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2025, many wondered why Woods was not the choice. He was the most ideal choice, he has a great relationship with many players, and he’d bring the competitive attitude needed to defeat the Europeans on American soil.

But just before Bradley was revealed to be the Captain, reports circulated that Woods had declined the offer.

Many did not understand why.

Just one day after Bradley was officially named the Captain at a press conference in New York, Woods released a statement regarding the choice (via Brentley Romine):

“With my new responsibilities to the 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. 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.”

Many speculated on the reasoning behind Woods’s refusal to accept the captaincy, with several suggesting he wanted to lead the Americans into Europe in 2027 at Adare Manor, where his good friend JP McManus owns the property.

Others thought he did not want to be put in an awkward situation where he’d be making tough choices for players, but this seems unlikely, considering he’ll have to do the same thing in three years.

Credit: CNN

Personally, I felt Woods would prefer the European Ryder Cup because he’ll be able to give the Americans an emotional edge on foreign soil, where it has been extremely difficult to win.

Regardless, Woods will eventually be Ryder Cup Captain, but this time around was not the best opportunity given what the job entails.