Tiger Woods ‘waiting for the nod’ to accept Ryder Cup captaincy as Team USA waits

The PGA of America is yet to name its Ryder Cup captain for the 2024 tournament at Bethpage Black next year, with Tiger Woods the overwhelming favorite to lead Team USA

Tiger Woods is yet to decide whether to captain Team USA at the Ryder Cup (Image: Getty)

Colin Montgomerie has suggested that the PGA of America is holding off on announcing its Ryder Cup captain as they await a response from Tiger Woods.

The organization typically reveals its captain 18 months before the tournament, but with just a year to go until the New York event, no leader has been named to face Luke Donald’s Team Europe. “I think they’re waiting for Tiger Woods to say ‘yay’ or ‘nay’, to be honest,” Montgomerie shared with Bunkered.

“He would be the obvious choice, and it would be perfect for him to do that in New York. Whether he wants to do it or not is another matter, but the PGA will be in contact with him. Whether he wants to wait for Ireland as well, with all the friends he has over there, I’m not sure. But he can pick and choose what he wants, really. It would suit Tiger to do it, and it’s just a case of waiting for the nod.”

“I would expect him to be the captain. They talked about Stuart Cink, they’ve talked about others that are potential captains, but America want to win it back. They want to that trophy back, badly, and it would be great for the Ryder Cup if he was captain. It would be a bigger event, if it could get any bigger, with him as captain.”

Team USA suffered a loss in Rome at the last Ryder Cup, and Woods confirmed in May that discussions regarding the captaincy for this September have occurred. However, Woods has stated he won’t commit to the role if he can’t give it his all, as his primary focus remains on the PGA Tour.

The golf icon is still recovering from the aftermath of his 2021 car accident and illness, which disrupted his one-tournament-a-month schedule at the beginning of 2024. Woods stated at the PGA Championship: “We’re still talking. There’s nothing that has been confirmed yet. We’re still working on what that might look like. Also whether or not I have the time to do it.

The PGA of America usually names its captain 18 months prior to the tournament ( Image: Getty)
“”I’m dedicating so much time to what we’re doing with the PGA Tour, I don’t want to not fulfil the role of the captaincy if I can’t do it. What that all entails, representing Team USA and the commitments to the PGA of America, the players and the fans, I need to feel that I can give the amount of time that it deserves.”

In his last major appearance, the U. S. Open, last weekend, Woods failed to make the cut. The 48 year old was hoping to clinch the major for a fourth time but a disappointing 36 holes saw his dreams shattered.