While Tiger Woods is usually content to not give too much away in his press conferences, it was no surprise that the eyes of the golfing world were glued to the media centre ahead of the Hero World Challenge on Tuesday.
Tiger Woods will not be teeing it up at the Hero World Challenge this week. However, the 15-time major champion would have expected to be one of the main talking points in the Bahamas.
The 49-year-old has not played in any tournaments in 2025. Woods ruptured his Achilles in the weeks leading into The Masters. And towards the end of the year, he underwent back surgery.
With that, his press conference was a golden opportunity to get Woods’ take on a number of issues – including the Ryder Cup.
The most surprising response from Tiger Woods in his Hero World Challenge press conference
Woods turned down the captaincy for the 2025 Ryder Cup, with the PGA of America subsequently turning to Keegan Bradley.
With Bradley overseeing a defeat at Bethpage Black, it appears to many that the stage is set for Woods to lead the team in 2027.
But perhaps the PGA of America are yet to get that memo. Speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Rex Hoggard suggested that he was staggered by Woods’ response in his press conference when asked whether he is interested in the role.
He said: “Tiger Woods’ comment was, and I had to write it down: ‘no one has asked’. How is that possible?
“How is that possible in the year of our Lord, 2025, October, as you pointed out correctly, about a month shy of when the PGA of America normally announces the captain for the next Ryder Cup, that they haven’t even had a conversation?
“It hasn’t even come up. We all know, you and I, and anyone else who watches the podcast or knows anything about golf, that it’s his job if he wants it. It’s a natural fit. He has a great relationship with JP McManus who owns Adare Manor. He has played in JP McManus’ pro-am before.
“It was supposed to be his job at Bethpage, I just don’t understand how we haven’t gotten there yet.”
The PGA of America are putting themselves under enormous pressure if Tiger Woods is not the next US Ryder Cup captain
Of course, there is a chance that Woods knows more than he is letting on and simply keeping his cards close to his chest.
But given the amount of own goals the PGA of America seemed to score in New York in September, it does not seem to be out of the realms of possibility that they indeed have not made any contact with Woods about the position.
The big question then becomes who should get the role for Adare Manor if Woods is not the man.
If Tiger Woods is not the next US Ryder Cup captain, who should get the job for Adare Manor?
“No one’s asked me.”
Tiger Woods’ response when asked if he would be interested in the 2027 Ryder Cup captaincy
Keegan Bradley has some support. Meanwhile, someone like Rickie Fowler may perhaps be an option if the PGA of America are determined to stay on the path which led them to Bradley.
The problem is that the pressure on the next appointment is already enormous. There will be uproar among fans if the PGA of America overlook Woods and Team USA suffers another heavy defeat on European soil.
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