Tiger Woods had a very good reason to pass on the Ryder Cup opportunity. The former World No. 1 clarified his Ryder Cup stance in an official statement. The 15-time major champion is juggling a lot of things, especially with the ongoing merger negotiations. It’s a time crunch that prevented him from taking the job. But the 48-year-old didn’t rule out a return in the future.

Tiger Woods wrote, “With my new responsibilities to the [PGA] Tour and time commitments involved I felt 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/when I feel it is the right time, I will put my hat in the ring for this committee to decide.”

Woods is one of the six-player directors involved in shaping the future of the PGA Tour. Moreover, the 15-time major champion is also part of the Transaction Committee, overseeing the day-to-day progress. Earlier, Rory McIlroy, a g member of the same group, revealed they connect with PIF officials two-three times every week.

On top of that, Woods is at a crucial juncture in his career. Post his ankle surgery the veteran has only competed in three majors and the Hero World Challenge; he pulled out of the Genesis Invitational due to influenza.

The former world no.1 is in a transition phase where he is figuring out how to adapt to his physical restrictions. His ankle doesn’t move the way it used to, which results in more weight on his lower back. That, in turn, prolongs his post-tournament recovery period.

Nevertheless, Woods’s willingness to take up the Ryder Cup captaincy later, hints that he is looking for a more favorable opportunity. Perhaps in 2027, when Ryder Cup travels to Adare Manor. Oddly enough, not everyone wants to see him as captain even then.

Why fans don’t want Tiger Woods to captain Team USA

Tiger Woods has represented the Stars and Stripes eight times in his career, winning only once, in 1999. Woods played 37 matches, where he won 13 times, lost 21 matches, and halved 3. Woods’s last Ryder Cup appearance came in 2018. A section of netizens don’t believe Tiger Woods would add much value to the team. One user wrote, “We don’t want him.”

Notably, the 48-year-old captained Team USA to a 2019 Presidents Cup triumph. In fact, Tiger Woods, kicked into the motion the famed Patrick Cantlay – Xander Schauffele pairing. Still, not everyone is convinced of his leadership skills.

One of them tweeted, “Tiger as captain, easy win for Europe. Outside of playing everything Tiger does turns to s***.” Some of them point to the delayed negotiations as an indication of Woods’s inefficiency as a leader. “They began ‘negotiating’ the Framework agreement in late 2022…. Now, those continued negotiations impacts (sic) an event occurring in late 2025…. Wow.”

Others believe Woods wanted to stay above the politics of LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. They assume the 82-time PGA Tour winner wanted to play safe. By the next Ryder Cup in 2027, the LIV-PGA Tour divide is likely to be a thing of the past. “In other words he wants 2 wait till LIV & pga merge then captain a winning team w/o all the politics,” one user tweeted.

Interestingly, some also grabbed the opportunity to blast Sun Day Red, Woods’s new apparel line. Previously, ‘sold-out’ Sun Day Red products were selling at double and triple the price at third-party e-commerce platforms like eBay. One user mocked, “I am laser-focused on selling overpriced polos with a shi**y logo and building a new tennis bubble for our simulator league. And playing 3 tournaments per year. One man can only do so much.”

While Tiger Woods was the favorite pick among veteran golfers, the fans don’t share that sentiment. Interestingly, Keegan Bradley, the new Ryder Cup captain, said the former world no.1 could get involved in any way he wanted. Bradley is willing to take advice from the 48-year-old.

The majors are indeed like a huge festival in the golf world. During these times, fans not only get to see the exceptional preparations and the intense competition of their favorite golfers but also get to see their fun side through the pre-tournament interviews. One such instance took place before the fourth major of female golf in France.

On Tuesday, Pauline Roussin was interviewed by the team of the Amundi Evian Championship. The team asked her many questions about different aspects of her game, and well, she didn’t disappoint with her answers! One thing that became clear after the interview is that Roussin is extremely funny! She did struggle to answer a few tricky questions, including two legends of the sport, but she also pulled out a joke on herself.

The official Instagram account of the Amundi Evian Championship posted the video featuring the French golfer. To begin with, she was asked about her best score over eighteen holes. She answered that her best score was 9-under, and she shot it at Golf d’Hossegor, in France. Hossegor is an 18-hole course in the middle of a pine and cork oak forest.

However, given the complexity of the name, she ended up being confused about it and trying a couple of pronunciations. She then laughingly accepted defeat and said, “I don’t know how to say it. I’m going to get killed!” This was not just the end of her struggles. She joked her way about choosing a hole-in-one given the condition that a car is given as a reward. Then, hilariously, she said that if it’s par 3, then in a row she will be able to win two cars. Well, she is smart and funny!

Then came the question that would fluster anyone. The team asked her to choose between Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam. Well, is this not a question every golfer would struggle with? As per what Roussin stated, it’s hard to choose because one is ‘The Goat’ on the female side and the other is ‘The Goat’ on the male side. So, both. I can’t choose.” Where’s the lie? Right?

Tiger Woods, although not in the best shape right now, has won a total of 82 events on the PGA Tour, including 15 majors. From his 80-under par in the first Masters as a pro to a 12-shot margin of victory over Tom Kite, the runner-up, he has been dominating male golf since 1997. As for Annika Sorenstam, she won over ninety victories worldwide, which included 72 LPGA and 10 major championships. Needless to say, both are GOATs.

When asked about how she manages to keep calm and enter the game to hit through the rounds, Roussin stated that she has her own set of routines that she follows so that she does not otherwise get furious. All the more so, because the French golfer is known for expressing both her anger and happiness exceptionally well on the course. She said, “So to manage my emotions before the competition, I have routines. And otherwise, on the course, well it’s mostly going to be routines too, but a lot of visualization, breathing, simple and concrete things.”

Pauline Roussin is all pumped up to try and get a victory at the Amundi Evian Championship and become the second French golfer after Celine Boutier won it last year. She has been one of the oldest players to play on the same course. As a result, she knows the course inside out! Winning in that course is undoubtedly going to be a significant turn in her professional career.

What is Pauline Roussin’s favorite memory from the Evian Resort?

Not many golfers are aware of the intricacies and hidden treasures of the Evian Resort Golf Club as much as Pauline Roussin. She has been competing there ever since she was a kid. She started when she was 8 and played for five years till she was 12. She came back to the course for the Jabra Ladies Open in 2017 and 2019. She made her debut at the Amundi Evian Championship as a professional in 2021.

When asked about her favorite memory of the course, it was not a part of the game that she played. Rather, it was a fun part that the course had to offer. With all excitement, Roussin said, “Ever since I was little and started competing here, it’s been the candy pyramids and chocolate fountains at the Haribo (Amundi Evian) kid’s Cup.”

Absolutely appalling! That’s what some people might be thinking. After all, Tiger Woods has denied Team USA captaincy for the 2025 Ryder Cup. Yes, that is certainly a reality now. You could think about it either way, given how the golfer has fared so far this season. While the 82-time PGA Tour winner struggled to make cuts in this season’s last two majors, there is one name that comes to mind when the spot of Captaincy is at stake. It is Phil Mickelson. But before we jump to establish that as a conclusion, let us explore why Mickelson deserves the spot over one of the most famous golfers of all time.

Tiger Woods had been part of eight Ryder Cups ever since 1997 until the year before he won his last major, the 2019 Master’s Tournament. In this long Ryder Cup career, Woods had won only once in 1999. He has always been a playing team member and has never been on the captaincy throne before, obviously! The golfer has a reputation for his career-long achievements, but his captaincy skills can be contested by Mickelson’s experience in the event.

Phil Mickelson won three times out of his 12 Ryder Cup participations. If you had not known this, Mickelson has the highest number of Ryder Cup participants among all the US golfers. He has set an 18-22-7 record in the event. But there’s more.

The 2025 Ryder Cup is going to be held at Bethpage Black and Winged Foot. Indeed, it is the same course where Woods famously won his 2002 US Open title, being the only golfer who scored under par. Iconic. Indeed, Mickelson has never been in that limelight to date. After this, one might question, then, how Mickelson is a better pick than Woods for the 2025 Cup at the infamous golf course. The answer lies in every close miss Mickelson had at Bethpage.

Not once, but three times did Mickelson have to settle for a runner-up position in the US Open held at Bethpage. In 2002, Mickelson scored even par and was three strokes behind Tiger Woods. Four years later, the 6-time major winner again climbed up the ladder to get tied for the runner-up position at Bethpage. This time, he was only one stroke behind Australian golfer Geoff Ogilvy. His last tied T2 came in 2009 at Bethpage when Lucas Glover won against Mickelson with a 2-stroke lead.

Even though Mickelson is not a winner there, he is the only golfer to reach so high up multiple times. It can thus be easily concluded that his grasp is over the golf course where the next Ryder Cup is going to be held. But there remains yet another reason that you must look into.

Much like their Ryder Cup careers, Mickelson and Woods share a similar difference in their Presidents Cup histories. A thriving Woods has played in only nine events. And apart from one tie and one loss in 1998, his team has won all the other times he has been part of it. This includes his very last event, where he was assigned as a playing captain in 2019.

Phil Mickelson was never offered to lead the team. The 54-year-old golfer who won his last major at the age of 51 has the experience of being in the tournament 12 times. And again, apart from the same loss and tie in 1998 and 2003, respectively, Mickelson has 10 wins in his bag. The golfer, however, has not been able to show his proficiency as a skipper.

However, if one wishes to look at his LIV Golf captaincy record, he will not disappoint. Before Norman announced the affirmed home courses for each LIV team, Mickelson talked about the necessity for the team’s improvement. The HyFlyers GC captain could attest to how his plan of improvement was efficient and will only come with the individual improvement of newer and weaker players, showing the kind of leader he aspires to be.

His passion for team spirit was also revealed when he said, “For the team, I think long-term it would be helpful if everybody lives together, practices together, and travels together. Would be logistically a lot easier rather than be all throughout.” He also believes that winning is a team effort, “To succeed, like, when they say it takes a team, it really takes a lot of people to help you.”

Confirming the rumors, the USGA announced that Tiger Woods won’t helm the USA squad next year. Instead, Keegan Bradley will steer the USA ship at Bethpage Black on Sept. 26–28, 2025. Picking Bradley was both a shocker and a polarizing choice.

Some believed Woods should’ve grabbed the opportunity, while others feel Bradley’s passion is exactly what Team USA needs. Interestingly, between the two, none has a spectacular Ryder Cup record.

Tiger Woods has 13 wins in his biennial outings. However, the veteran has also conceded 21 losses and three halved matches. The 48-year-old has teed off in eight Ryder Cups in his career. However, only once was he on the winning team, in 1999. Woods dubbed the ‘Battle of Brookline’ as ‘one of the coolest moments’ in his career.

Notably, Tiger Woods had the experience of captaining a USA team in the global arena. The 48-year-old led the team to victory in the 2019 Presidents Cup in Australia.

Bradley, on the other hand, has no such experience. The 38-year-old has been part of two Ryder Cup teams. First in 2012, in the Miracle in Medinah, and then in 2014 at Gleneagles. Europe retained the cup both times, however.

Bradley famously vowed not to open his return bag from the 2012 Ryder Cup until he won another. Since 2014, that opportunity has eluded the former PGA Championship winner. He was a Ryder Cup hopeful last year but received a negative call from Zach Johnson as Full Swing cameras followed him.

While accepting next year’s call of duty, Bradley said, “The Ryder Cup is unlike any other competition in our sport. And this edition will undoubtedly be particularly special given the rich history and enthusiastic spectators at this iconic course.”

Woods, on the other hand, was reluctant to take up the job. It was a lucrative offer, given the stature associated with the Ryder Cup. Furthermore, the word was that the job was his to take. Only a nod would’ve secured the place. But Woods shook his head.

Why Tiger Woods rejected the Ryder Cup captaincy

Generally, Ryder Cup captains are picked from the players who are just outside their glory days. That’s not the case for Bradley, like it wasn’t the case for Arnold Palmer in 1963. However, the general belief is that accepting a Ryder Cup captaincy often draws a curtain on top-tier professional golf.

One reason is, of course, that, as a captain, the responsibilities are multifold. From selecting players to building a team, it’s a tough task. Given the current state of golf, it also means throwing yourself headlong into needless controversy. Woods might have wanted to avoid that, given his active role in negotiations with the PIF.