Tiger Woods has been extensively hyped up to become the next Ryder Cup captain following Team USA’s massive loss at the Bethpage Black last season. In 2025, Team USA was not able to complete their plans in the Ryder Cup, as they were dominated the first two days before making a brief comeback during the singles showdown on Sunday. Despite this, the team suffered a 15-13 loss at home.
The next Ryder Cup will be held in Adare Manor, Ireland, and Woods has a strong backing to captain the team. The Away Ryder Cup is clearly the most difficult, but Woods is someone who can not only prepare the squad but also lead the event from the front. Despite this, golf commentator Brandel Chamblee has explicitly expressed his opposition to the 82-time PGA Tour winner potentially becoming captain.
In an appearance on the Dan on Golf Show on March 2, Chamblee indicated that he does not believe Tiger Woods should be captain right now and that he should wait a little longer. The pundit argued that instead of Woods, Justin Leonard should be the captain in 2027. According to the Golfing Gazette, Chamblee stated:
“I think the next captain should be Justin Leonard. Tiger has got plenty of time to be the captain, and he should probably do it more than once. I think he’s too busy with the governance of the PGA Tour. I think he probably wants to play a little on the PGA Tour Champions, you know, he’s got bigger fish to fry right now than taking over the Ryder Cup. And the right thing to do is to make Justin Leonard the captain.”
Aside from this, there are also numerous speculations swirling around Woods’ return to competitive golf, which he has yet to confirm.
When is Tiger Woods likely to return to competitive tournament play?
Woods underwent disc replacement surgery in October 2025, which has significantly delayed his return. The golfer has recently teased about his return on multiple occasions, suggesting that he is almost there and will be ready to play shortly. While Woods has indicated that he can play in the 2026 Masters, he has yet to return to the TGL.
Following the last edition of TGL, the league will move on to the semi-final, which will be held on March 17. Interestingly, when asked if he would be playing that day, Tiger Woods responded in a confusing manner. He first stated that he is looking forward to the semi-finals and then clarified that he will be there regardless of whether he is playing or not. According to Marca, Woods said,
“I’m looking forward to it…Well, I’ll be here either way.”
The 2026 Masters is set to begin on April 9, giving Woods only four weeks and a couple of starts to prepare for the tournament.’
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