“With my new responsibilities to the TOUR 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.” Tiger Woods had explained ahead of the 2024 Open Championship. This was around the same time that Keegan Bradley was announced as captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup US team, as many people were expecting Woods to be named to the important role.
Fast forward to now, and there are some interesting developments on the Ryder Cup front for Team USA. Keegan Bradley recently claimed victory at the last signature event of the 2025 season, the Travelers Championship. At the TPC River Highlands in Connecticut, Bradley outwitted Tommy Fleetwood in the last hole to secure his eighth PGA Tour title and pocket a tidy $3.6 million in winnings as well.
The victory vaulted the 39-year-old to 7th in the Official World Golf Rankings. He also moved to 9th in the Ryder Cup rankings to represent Team USA. The Top 6 in the Ryder Cup rankings after the BMW Championship automatically qualify for the American Team for the biennial event. And that is where the conundrum is for Bradley and the others.
There is no doubt that Bradley is one of the top 12 American players right now. But a captain’s role is also not so easy. The question in everyone’s mind is whether Bradley can balance both roles without compromising the output on either side. For context, the last time this was done in the Ryder Cup was 62 years before, when Arnold Palmer did.
Speaking on the Rich Eisen Show, Bradley had detailed that some people have been guiding and helping him find a solution to the still-unresolved issue. “There’s been a few people in this during this process that have been extremely helpful, supportive and constantly checking in and Tiger has been one of them.” The 2011 PGA Championship winner stated.
Tiger Woods is someone who can clearly understand the situation Bradley is in. For the 2019 Presidents Cup held at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia, Tiger Woods was the captain for Team USA. The Big Cat also played for Team USA, becoming the first to play captain since Hale Irwin in 1994. The process and metrics considered before making such a decision are not foreign to Woods. “Someone that has given me great advice, somebody that I can bounce ideas off.” Bradley stated about the 15-time Major winner.
Tiger Woods’ thoughts on Ryder Cup captaincy as Keegan Bradley problem emergeshttps://t.co/ja8Md7Dil6 pic.twitter.com/MGLwv0zZ6a
— Irish Star US (@IrishStarUS) June 26, 2025
And Woods shoots it straight without any unnecessary embellishments, which is what Bradley prefers in his confidantes.“I’m not looking for someone to agree with me ever if they don’t. I want them to give me their real opinion and he does that in a great way.” The 39-year-old further explained.
It is great that Keegan Bradley is maintaining a clear line of communication with one of golf’s greats. But could this chain of dialogue mean that Woods will likely have a bigger role in the upcoming Ryder Cup? A few people do think so.
Should Tiger Woods be a part of the Ryder Cup non-playing team?
Frankie and Trent of Fore Play Podcast Plus believe that Tiger Woods being a part of Team USA is something that could turn out to be a huge positive. This could have a deep and profound impact, especially considering the possibility that Keegan Bradley could end up playing. Woods could take the majority of the load during the tournament from the 2025 Travelers Championship winner.
“What better way to get Tiger Woods involved than to be like, ‘Hey listen, Keegan has handled all of this administrative stuff that you’re not that keen on doing. All you got to do, my friend, is get that private jet to Beth Page, Long Island, in September, show up, be the Terminator, motivate all these guys, and Keegan’s just going to play and focus on that.” Trent added.
Do you think that Tiger Woods’s experience can be a vital game-changing factor for Team USA at the Ryder Cup?