Tiger doesn’t rule out Masters return but unsure on Adare captaincy
Tiger Woods has yet to make up his mind about accepting the 2027 Ryder Cup captaincy at Adare Manor as he’s unsure whether he can do the role “justice” while helping reshape the new PGA Tour schedule.
The 15-time Major champion, who did not rule out a return to action in the Masters this April after undergoing disc replacement surgery in October 2024, revealed ahead of the Genesis Invitational that he had spoken to the PGA of America.
While he’s been sidelined since missing the cut at The Open in July 2024 and revealed he is now hitting full shots, his work as Chairman of the PGA Tour’s Future Competitions Committee has given him pause for thought on the Ryder Cup role.
“They have asked me for my input on it, and I haven't made my decision yet,” Woods said of the Ryder Cup and his conversations with the PGA of America, having surprised in the Bahamas last year when he said, “No one’s asked me about it (the captaincy).”
“I'm trying to figure out what we're trying to do with our tour that's been driving me hours upon the hours every day, and trying to figure out if I can actually do our our team, our team USA, and our players and everyone that's going to be involved in the Ryder Cup, if I can do it justice with my time serving on two boards.
“And what I'm doing for the PGA Tour. I'm trying to figure out if I can actually do this and serve the people that are involved, and serve them at an honourable level.”
The PGA Tour wants to reduce the number of events it stages from next season to offer more quality and Woods has found that time-consuming as he chairs the board tasked with making it happen.
“I thought I spent a lot of hours practising in my prime,” he said. “It doesn't even compare to what we've done in the boardroom.”
As for his return to action, either on the PGA Tour or the Champions Tour, he said he was hitting balls again and did not rule out an appearance in the Masters in April.
“Well, I'm trying, put it that way,” Woods said with a grin, adding that he had not set a target date for his return.
“I've had a fused back and now a disc replacement, so it's challenging. And now I entered a new decade, so that number is starting to sink in and has us thinking about the opportunity to be able to play in a cart.
“That's something that, as I said, I won't do out here on this tour because I don't believe in it.
“But on the Champions Tour, that's certainly that opportunity.”
He could hit full shots, he said, adding, “Not well every day, but I can hit them.”
Asked if the Masters was “off the table”, he delivered a firm, “No”.
His priority is the revamping of the PGA Tour schedule but it appears unlikely that the 2027 calendar will be the finished product.
“We would like to have it happen in 2027,” Woods said of the new-look schedule. “We may have to roll it out over a couple-year period.
“We may not be able to implement all of it in 2027, but there will definitely be parts of it integrated or changed than from what it is now in '26 into ’27.”
Woods also referred to Anthony Kim’s first win for 16 years at LIV Golf Adelaide on Sunday and admitted he could relate to the former Ryder Cup star, who was out of the game for 12 years fighting injury and addiction issues.
“Yeah, this kid hit it so good,” Woods said, adding, “He played unbelievable at the 2008 Ryder Cup. He had so much natural talent. He could hit any shot he wanted.
“Then to see him struggle in life and didn't really want to play golf, didn't really want to be part of golf, and for him to come all the way back and for him to win and to be as devoted as he is to his family, it's a story in which -- you just have to wrap your heart around it because of the struggles.
“We can all relate to struggles. We all struggle in life. The longer it goes, the more tough times you've had.
“But for him to fight through it and for Anthony to get to where he's gotten to, from the low that he was in, is something that, as I said, you have to just wrap your heart around it.”
