AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods rarely says much in interviews.
But on Tuesday, at a pre-tournament press conference ahead of this week’s Masters, Woods, who won the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, gave an interesting talk about the possibility of being captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2025. Showed off.
When asked if he would become captain, Woods replied with a smile, “We’re still talking about it.”
When asked what the factors were at play and whether they had anything to do with him still wanting to play more golf, Woods had some news to share.
“It’s about Seth.” [Waugh, the CEO of the PGA of America] “Once this incident is over, we’re going to sit down and talk about it,” Woods said. “I said it’s going to be a busy few weeks. So let’s just focus on getting through this week and hopefully get another jacket, so we can talk at leisure next week.”
This was interesting because Woods didn’t have to reveal that he planned to discuss the Ryder Cup with Waugh after the Masters.
Related or not, Woods played with Waugh at the prestigious annual Pro Members Tournament at Seminole Golf Club in March. This was Woods’ first time playing in the tournament, even though he lives just a few miles away in South Florida.
Woods was captain of the 2019 Presidents Cup team that won at Royal Melbourne and served as assistant captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2018.
He has also been involved behind the scenes with several Ryder Cup teams in the past, although not as an official vice-captain.
Zach Johnson, captain of the 2023 U.S. national team, frequently said last year that he was in “constant communication” with Woods, even though he was not on the team.
It has long been thought that Phil Mickelson, who is hugely popular, especially in the New York area, would be chosen to captain the U.S. team in 2025. However, the jump to LIV Golf took him out of consideration.
For a while, the conventional wisdom in the game was that Woods could do that job if he wanted.
The U.S. Ryder Cup team is rebounding from a lopsided European loss in Rome last October. Luke Donald, who captained the European team to victory in Italy, will return for a second fresh start in 2025.
It’s unclear who the PGA of America will turn to if Woods declines to captain the 2025 team.
PGA Tour favorite Stewart Cink is believed to be among the names being considered.
