Multiple major champion offers dim view of Tiger Woods Ryder Cup rumour

Dame Laura Davies says she doesn't believe Tiger Woods would take over the Ryder Cup captaincy on short notice. 

Keegan Bradley was named as the surprise choice to succeed Zach Johnson last July and there was always a possibility the 39-year-old could qualify for the team on merit. 

Bradley has always poured cold water on any suggestion he would pick himself but admitted his feelings have changed after he secured an electric victory at the Travelers Championship. 

He vaulted up the US Ryder Cup standings to ninth and it seems highly likely the eight-time PGA Tour winner is being urged by his peers to assume a playing captaincy role. 

Whether that is a good idea has been the subject of intense debate. 

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy previously claimed he felt it was impossible to combine the roles given the media commitments at the biennial contest.

Davies offered her two cents on the subject when speaking to talkSPORT on Wednesday. 

She is not convinced Bradley can combine the two roles either. 

"Back then, there was a lot less for captains to do," she said alluding to her Solheim Cup days. 

"So, I could see a captain playing back in those days, but now with all the huge media coverage and all their commitments, and it's huge commitments.

"I've been a vice captain on the Solheim Cup a few times, and I see how much a captain has to do during the week.

"Obviously the build up, that doesn't matter, but during the week there's so much going on. I don't think you can play and be a captain.

"I think, at best, he'll have to rely on one of his vice captains. 

"Probably the obvious ones, Jim Furyk, to kind of take the role of all the press conferences and all the demands on the captain.

"I think it's good for the European team if he is the playing captain. He should just be a player and maybe let one of the other guys do most of the captaincy."

The aforementioned Woods rejected the captaincy for the 2025 contest. 

He claimed he was far too busy shaping the future of the PGA Tour amid the schism with LIV Golf and did not believe he could fully commit to the role. 

It is understood Woods will lead the red, white and blue in 2027 at Adare Manor in Ireland. 

Davies doesn't believe Woods would take over the Ryder Cup captaincy on short notice. 

"I don't think Tiger would like to be the captain in those circumstances," she said. 

"The reason you have those vice captains, and you choose them carefully, is because you know that they can step in if need be, at any given time.

"Jim's already been the captain once before. I'm assuming his other vice captains are the ones we've known before, Freddy Couples, possibly I don’t know who he's chosen, but I know Jim's there, and he would be the obvious one for me."

Couples has not been selected by Bradley to be one of his vice captains. 

Furyk, Brandt Snedeker and Kevin Kisner were previously named by Bradley to be part of the leadership team. 

He still has one vice captaincy role to announce. 

*As of 25 June 2025