Smiley Kaufman believes Tiger Woods will seek assurances from the PGA of America before deciding whether to captain Team USA at next year’s Ryder Cup.
All eyes are on whether Woods will serve as captain for the 2027 Ryder Cup to be held at Adare Manor. There is no doubt the pressure is mounting after Luke Donald announced last week that he would be leading Europe for a third time.
advertisement
Woods confirmed he has been in contact with the PGA of America about the role. But the 50-year-old is also the chairman of the PGA Tour’s Future Competition Committee.
With that, the 15-time major champion now has plenty of opportunities.
Why Tiger Woods is delaying decision on whether to become Ryder Cup captain
Tiger Woods has a good relationship with Adare Manor owner JP McManus. He also captained the U.S. team at the 2019 Presidents Cup. So there’s reason to think he’d be open to taking on the role.
However, on the Smiley Show, Smiley Kaufman suggested that Woods may be reluctant to commit until the PGA of America agrees to remove a number of additional responsibilities not directly related to the week itself.
Photo credit: Cliff Hawkins/TGL/TGL Golf via Getty Images
“I think there’s a song and dance right now between Tiger Woods and the PGA of America trying to limit the amount of things he has to do. I don’t think Tiger wants to be a show pony. I think he just wants to be a captain. I think he just wants to be involved in the process,” he said.
advertisement
“Is there a level to being a captain and taking on the responsibility of doing all the things that the PGA of America asks of a captain? And I think Tiger doesn’t want to do that. Some players want to do that, but I don’t think Tiger wants to do that. So I think that’s what’s happening right now, and they’re just trying to figure out if he really wants to do it.”
What Tiger Woods said about being his first Ryder Cup captain since Bethpage
This isn’t the first time Woods has been rumored to be involved with the captaincy. He admitted he turned down a role in preparations for the 2025 Bethpage tournament, surprising the PGA of America and turning to Keegan Bradley.
Woods insisted at the Hero World Challenge that he had no communication with the PGA about Adair Manor’s role.
advertisement
But when he spoke to the media again ahead of the Genesis Invitational, things had clearly developed. Mr. Woods indicated that they sought his opinion.
Of course, many interpreted this to mean that the ball was firmly in his court. The Associated Press recently reported that Woods is being asked to make a decision before the Masters.
Admittedly, having this uncertainty again is a bit of an advantage for Team USA, especially since Europe may have a significant head start on their opponents.
