Tiger woods in tears as secret affair leak and Amanda Balionis reports sparks…
But the 15-time major champion ultimately decided against leading the team and it appeared to spark a three-way race for the captaincy.
Stewart Cink, Fred Couples or Davis Love III were touted as possible candidates.
Instead, the stunning decision was made to appoint Keegan Bradley as the skipper, despite the six-time PGA Tour winner having no previous leadership roles in the contest.
It was widely assumed Woods, 48, would take the reins for the red, white and blue for the 2025 contest at Bethpage Black.
Bradley has also only played in two Ryder Cups, appearing on the losing team on both occasions.
That being said, his captaincy could prove to be a masterstroke given his clear passion for the Cup.
Woods has now released a statement confirming that he desperately wants to throw his hat into the ring in the future.
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,” he said.
Woods was referring to the fact last year he was named as the sixth player director on the PGA Tour‘s policy board.
His appointment came months after the North American circuit announced the 6 June framework agreement with LIV‘s Saudi backers.
Woods and Rory McIlroy were two of the highest-profile advocates for the Tour but, like the rest of the players, were kept in the dark about the deal between the circuit, the DP World Tour and the Saudi PIF.
Woods later made it clear to PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan that what transpired will never happen again.
The legendary golfer has since played a key role in shaping the future of the Tour.
In January, it was announced the PGA Tour had agreed a $3bn private equity deal with Strategic Sports Group.
That news cast doubt on whether the PGA would broker a deal with LIV’s backers afterall.
Talks with the breakaway tour are still ongoing and some reports, such as this one from the New York Times, have suggested the two sides have ‘exchanged terms’ and an army of lawyers are now dotting the i’ and crossing the t’s.
In May, Woods said progress had been made in negotiations but there was ‘a long way to go still’.
Those comments were made a day after Jimmy Dunne – one of the architects of the aforementioned framework agreement – resigned, citing that no meaningful progress had been made.
It coincided amid rumours Woods and McIlroy’s relationship was strained after the golfer voted against the Northern Irishman returning to the board having previously quit.
We may get an update on the talks when Woods speaks to the media in his news conference before next week’s Open at Royal Troon.
As for his future Ryder Cup captaincy, Woods insisted his latest decision ‘does not mean I wouldn’t want to captain a team in the future.’
If an when I feel it is the right time, I will put my hat in the ring for this committee to decide.”
Woods could captain the US at the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland.
The course is owned by his good friend JP McManus and the contest will mark the 100th anniversary of the biennial dustup.
