In the latest fallout from Tiger Woods’ car crash, the 15-time major champion will not be the U.S. captain for the 2027 Ryder Cup.
The PGA of America delivered the news via a statement on Wednesday, saying that Woods had “shared with us that he will not serve” as captain for the U.S. team next year.
The decision ends months of speculation over whether Tiger would finally take the reins of the U.S. Ryder Cup team. It also leaves the PGA of America and the U.S. team without a captain with only 18 months to go until the 2027 event in Ireland.
PGA: Tiger withdraws from Ryder Cup captain job for 2027
Not long after the European team completed their second-straight Ryder Cup victory over the U.S. team at Bethpage Black, one thing was clear, though unofficial.
If Tiger Woods wanted to be the U.S. captain at the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor, the job was his. Given his busy schedule and recovery from surgery, it was never a sure thing that Woods would take the job.
But with the event inching ever closer, a decision was expected soon. We may never know what Woods intended to do.
On Friday, March 27, Woods was involved in a rollover crash near his home in Jupiter, Fla., and arrested and charged with DUI. Woods later pled not guilty to the charges.
Then on March 31, Woods announced he would be “stepping away” from golf and public life to “seek treatment and focus on my health.”
At that point, the Ryder Cup captaincy question was still up in the air, but the PGA of America provided us with an answer on Wednesday.
In a statement released on social media, the PGA of America confirmed Woods had decided not to take the U.S. Ryder Cup captain job.
“Tiger has shared with us that he will not serve as Captain of the 2027 U.S. Ryder Cup Team and we support his decision,” the statement read.
“The PGA of America stands in full support of Tiger Woods as he steps away to focus on his health and well-being. During this time, we are keeping Tiger in our thoughts and prayers, with sincere hope for his strength, comfort, and recovery. Tiger has meant so much to our Association and to the game of golf.”
The PGA also commended Woods “for prioritizing his long-term health” and said they “deeply respect the courage it takes to make such a personal decision.”
The recent car crash aside, this episode closely resembles the process the PGA underwent to choose the U.S. Ryder Cup captain for 2025. Woods was a top candidate for the job last year as well.
But in the end, Woods informed the PGA he would not accept the 2025 captaincy. Keegan Bradley took his spot.
In a statement read during the press conference announcing Bradley’s captaincy, Woods said, “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.”
