Tiger Woods may well be the next US Ryder Cup captain, but it's not a sure thing quite yet.
The five-time Masters champion spoke at a pre-tournament news conference on Tuesday at Augusta National Golf Club, and he was asked about the possibility of helming the American side heading into next year's 2025 Ryder Cup matches at Bethpage State Park's Black Course in Long Island, New York. Woods acknoweldged the conversations while explaining why there's nothing formally decided.
"We're still talking about it," Woods said.
"It's something Seth [Waugh, PGA of America Chief Executive Officer] and I are going to sit back and talk about after this event. I said I'm gonna be busy for a couple of weeks so let me focus on this week and hopefully getting another jacket. And then we can talk about it next week."
The United States was thrashed in the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy by a 16.5-11.5 count, continuing a road losing streak to the Europeans that has spanned into a fourth decade. Woods was previously the victorious US Presidents Cup player-captain in 2019 in Australia.
Woods is seeking a record-tying sixth green jacket this week after winning his fifth Masters crown in 2019 following a 14-year drought at Augusta National. It was his first major win since the 2008 US Open.Â
However, Woods' physical health is a big concern for his ability to play 72 holes of golf, much less contend in a tournament. With multiple microdiscectomies, a fused ankle and a surgically operated foot, as well as numerous knee scopes, Woods has trouble recovering between rounds and walking difficult, hilly courses like Augusta National. He withdrew last year amid difficult weather conditions and plantar fasciitis, which necessitated a surgical procedure.
Last December at his Hero World Challenge, Woods said he hoped to play once per month in calendar 2024. He played in and hosted The Genesis Invitational at Rivera in February, but he withdrew in the second round with the flu. He didn't compete in The Players Championship in March, leading to speculation about his health given that he was not playing on a monthly basis.
Woods acknowledged he did not wind up meeting his goal, but he now intends to tee it up in the major championship season.
"When I was at Hero, once a month would have been a really nice rhythm. It hasn't worked out that way," he said. "But now we have major championships every month from here through July so now once the month really kicks in."
