Tiger Woods was offered the chance to captain Team USA at the Ryder Cup, but he turned down the opportunity and Keegan Bradley was eventually named skipper
Woods cited other commitments as his reason for rejecting the captaincy(Image: GETTY)
Tiger Woods, the golf icon with 15 major titles under his belt, may have missed his shot at captaining Team USA in the Ryder Cup, according to Rory McIlroy’s former agent, Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler. The last time Woods participated in the biennial event was back in 2018, where he didn’t fare well in his individual matches, leading to a victory for Team Europe.
Woods, who has been urged to invest in a historic English soccer team, had been considered as a potential captain for Team USA this year as they aim to reclaim the Ryder Cup glory they last tasted in 2021. However, due to his commitments with the TGL and involvement in PIF discussions, he turned down the opportunity. The role of captain was eventually bestowed upon Keegan Bradley, making him the youngest team leader since Arnold Palmer in 1963.
Chandler, who represented McIlroy for approximately four years, suspects that Woods might have backed out of the decision due to the differing perceptions of the Ryder Cup in the USA and Europe.
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“They offered it to Tiger, he didn’t want it,” Chandler revealed in an interview with Casino Hawks. “I think he might have bottled it. I don’t know. He’d say maybe there wasn’t enough time, but that’s nonsense.”
Tiger Woods rejected the chance to skipper Team USA at the Ryder Cup(Image: GETTY)
He added, “They don’t treat it like we do though. America doesn’t treat it like it’s a big thing as Europe does, and they never have done. Patrick Reed is one of the few that treats it like we do but he’s not in.”
Last year, Woods explained that he declined the captaincy because he couldn’t fully commit to the project. Despite this, he expressed openness to taking on the role in the future.
“With my new responsibilities 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,” said Woods.
“That does not mean I wouldn’t want to captain a team in the future. If and when I feel it is the right time, I will put my hat in the ring for this committee to decide.”
Bradley later disclosed that Woods had been offering him extensive guidance while he was considering which players to select for the team.
“Yeah, it’s interesting because so many times in my career I’ve leaned on other players to help me go through situations, whether it’s endorsements or certain situations or how I feel in tournaments,” said Bradley.
“I have no one to talk to about this. I can’t call someone who’s done it. Tiger Woods did it at the Presidents Cup. I’ve spoken to him a ton about this.
“There’s a few other guys that have done it in the Presidents Cup. The Ryder Cup is a much different animal, but we have a plan.”
