Tiger Woods Ryder Cup role under question as USA captain admits plans being made

Keegan Bradley, the captain of Team USA, has been in talks with 15-time major champion Tiger Woods about a potential role in the 2025 Ryder Cup. Bradley, who is leading the American side for the 2025 edition of the biennial tournament, is aiming to reclaim the title they lost on European ground in Italy last autumn.

With this goal in mind, Team USA is keen to assemble the most formidable team possible to secure the victory - and Woods might have a part to play. Although Bradley was cautious not to fuel speculation about Woods' involvement, he did not dismiss the possibility of the 15-time major champion participating in some way at Bethpage Black.

Woods has participated in eight Ryder Cups over more than two decades, securing the prestigious trophy twice. "I spoke to Tiger a bunch when the announcement happened," Bradley revealed.

"He was really really helpful, had a lot of great advice. Again, the stress of playing in the President's Cup and then the playoffs and everything that came with that, I've sort of put everything on pause for a second.

"I'll be addressing that in the coming weeks and months, but I've had great conversations with Tiger. He's a mentor for all of us and he's got a lot of great suggestions on things we can do as a team."

Woods' most disappointing Ryder Cup showing was his latest - at Le Golf National in Paris in 2018. He failed to win a single match that week, contributing to another American defeat by the Europeans.

However, Team USA could have the upper hand in 2025; the last time a team triumphed on foreign soil was when Europe won at Medinah Country Club in 2012.

In addition to focusing on his fitness for the 2025 season, Woods is currently involved in several golf-related projects. He's playing a part in the merger between PGA Tour and LIV Golf, and the 48 year old recently revealed plans to design another course in Aledo, Texas.

Woods is also preparing to launch a new golf league in January with fellow PGA Tour player Rory McIlroy. The advanced tech golf league, TGL, will showcase 24 of the top PGA Tour players - including Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Justin Rose and the founding pair - in weekly televised matches at a Florida venue.

In other news, both Bradley and European captain Luke Donald expressed their willingness to include LIV Golf players in next year's Ryder Cup. Only one LIV member - Brooks Koepka - participated in the 2023 event in Rome, with the remaining 23 players hailing from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

Bradley has also shown interest in potentially becoming the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963. The 38 year old has been in some of the best form of his career recently, highlighted by an impressive FedEx Cup playoff win at the BMW Championship in August.