RESPECT EARNED: Woods free to provide Ryder Cup inputs

WASHINGTON (AFP) — New 2025 US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley said Tiger Woods, who was in talks for the post, will be as involved with the US squad as he desires.

Bradley, speaking on the eve of the start of the US PGA Tour 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota, said he spoke with 15-time major winner Woods at the British Open last week at Royal Troon.

“I’ve told Tiger that I want him to be as involved as he wants to be,” Bradley said.

“With the British Open going on, we’re not really chatting too much about that.”

“We both have a job to do and I don’t want to bother Tiger with that. I think in the coming months — we’re still 14 months out here, so we’ve got a long time.”

Bradley, 38, was named the US Ryder Cup captain earlier this month to lead the Americans against Luke Donald’s Europe squad at Bethpage Black near New York.

Woods had spoken for several months with PGA of America officials about taking the captain’s role but in the end said he did not have adequate time to devote to the role.

In addition to working on regaining top form following a 2021 car crash, Woods is among the negotiators trying to hammer out a final merger deal between the US PGA Tour and the LIV Golf League’s financial backers, the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF).

The PGA of America went with 21st-ranked Bradley, the 2011 PGA Championship winner who will make captain’s picks from among his peers next year.

“It has been really great,” Bradley said of his new role.

“It has been really nice to be out here with the guys and the players and the caddies and getting their feedback, talking to them and just seeing their faces and getting to see their reaction and have them tell me what they think about the upcoming Ryder Cup and some of my plans.”

Bradley, whose most recent of six career PGA Tour triumphs came at last year’s Travelers Championship, has shared second this season at the Sony Open in Hawaii and Charles Schwab Challenge.

Bradley named Webb Simpson, 38, as his first vice captain on Tuesday.

“It has been really fun to start to get together my vice-captain staff, to sort of get them on board to my message and sort of philosophy on the Ryder Cup,” Bradley said.

“I sat on the being the Ryder Cup captain for almost three weeks without anybody knowing and that was tough. It has been a real therapeutic thing for me to see the guys.”

Bradley, who has already started working on the US team rooms at Bethpage, is trying to use the Ryder Cup job to help his game.

“I can use this to my advantage,” he said.

“I have a real tough time leaving golf at the golf course.”

“I’ve been able to really leave that because once I leave the course and when I’m home, I’m really thinking a lot about the Ryder Cup. So, I’m trying to use that as sort of almost a distraction away from my real job.”