Bethpage will be 'Ryder Cup of Ryder Cups' says PGA of America CEO

Seth Waugh happy to let Tiger Woods take his time as he decides on 2025 captaincy in New York

PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh is predicting the “Ryder Cup of Ryder Cups” at Bethpage Black in New York next year and is happy to give Tiger Woods the time he needs to decide if he can commit the time to be US captain.

Woods admitted on Tuesday that he is still in talks about the possibility of him taking on the role in the biennial event for the first time, with Luke Donald having already been reappointed as Europe’s captain after leading his side to victory in Rome last year.

Speaking on the eve of the 106th PGA Championship in Louisville, Waugh said: “We have had conversations for months. We have also had conversations at the Ryder Cup committee, multiple conversations about potential captains and a list of potential captains.

PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh has been in talks with Tiger Woods about the 2025 Ryder Cup captaincy. Picture: Warren Little/Getty Images.

“You know, Tiger, he's been pretty clear. I think we all know that he can be pretty focused, and that's one of his many superpowers is that ability to sort of tunnel and decide. And he doesn't do anything that he's not fully committed to, and we totally respect that.”

Referring to the 15-time major winner’s PGA Tour policy board role, he added: “He's got a lot on his plate right now. He's very active, obviously, on the tour side of things. We want to give him and the committee space to decide, you know, decide how it plays out. We have picked captains later than this. We've picked captains earlier than this. We'll re-engage next week or so.”

Next year’s event is likely to be played in front of the loudest crowd ever witnessed in the contest, with New York sports fans being as passionate as they come.

“You know, Bethpage is going to be epic,” said Waugh. “Apologies to (new DP World Tour CEO) Guy Kinnings who is here, but I think it's going to be the Ryder Cup of Ryder Cups. New York and the Ryder Cup is a pretty incredible combination. We are going to have a great captain and a great team and we are going to be very competitive.”