"A lot of people were banking on Tiger Woods" - Xander Schauffele 'surprised' over Keegan Bradley's 2025 Ryder Cup captaincy selection

A few days ago, reports emerged that Tiger Woods had turned down the offer to captain team USA at the 2025 Ryder Cup that is set to be played at the Bethpage Black Course in New York from September 26 to 28. The PGA of America has announced the official captain for the team and the news has left several players and fans all over the world stumped.

2023 Ryder Cup Team USA star, Xander Schauffele, was "surprised" that his fellow PGA Tour competitor, Keegan Bradley, was named as the captain for next year. Rumours of Tiger Woods running for captaincy had emerged earlier this year, setting expectations for fans worldwide. Here's what Schauffele had to say to BBC Sport about the news:

"Yeah, it's surprising. You typically expect someone that's a little bit older to get selected as a captain. I think a lot of people were banking on Tiger to do it. He obviously has a lot on his plate. Keegan expressed his love for the Ryder Cup publicly, which we all saw. I haven't talked to him or seen him yet but I'm sure he's over the moon and is going to do a great job. "

PGA Tour winner Stewart Cink was also reportedly in the run for the position of the team's captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup. While he was competing at the Genesis Scottish Open this week, Cink told the reporters that Woods dropping out of the running was not a "surprise":

"It doesn’t surprise me that he’s turned it down because since he’s stepped into the board position – the PGA Tour is pretty busy right now and he’s got a lot away from the course too with his injuries and trying to recover and get himself in the kind of condition that he can play. He wants to play. I’m not surprised he turned it down. It’s probably a pretty big role when you consider adding it to all that stuff. "

---

Keegan Bradley reacts to becoming a Ryder Cup captain

Keegan Bradley has made two appearances at the Ryder Cup for team USA. Having played in 2012 and 2014, he did not contribute to the team as captain nor the vice captain before and is set to become the team's youngest captain ever.

The 31st captain was a dark-horse pick. After recieving the news, Bradley told the PGA Tour.

"I am incredibly honored to accept this opportunity to captain the United States Team at the 2025 Ryder Cup. I would like to thank the PGA of America Ryder Cup Committee for their trust in me as we embark on this journey to Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York. My passion and appreciation for golf’s greatest team event have never been stronger. ”