LOS ANGELES — Tiger Woods is on the clock.
Woods kept everyone guessing — a favorite hobby of his — with one word and a smug grin last week at Riviera when he was asked if playing in the Masters was off the table.
“No,” he replied.
The grin indicated there would be nothing to add. To borrow a phrase from Dan Hicks at NBC when Woods forced a playoff in the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines, “Expect anything different?”
He wasn’t about to rule out playing in the Masters with two months to go. And having not competed in more than a year, Woods just doesn’t know yet. But big decisions are looming for Woods in the next month.
The Masters gets all the attention because a red shirt on Sunday has become nearly as common as a green jacket at Augusta National. But there’s also that small matter of the Ryder Cup.
Woods is the top choice — the only choice at the moment — to be captain for the 2027 matches in Ireland, just like he was for the last Ryder Cup before he turned it down. Officials were forced to wait longer than ever before announcing Keegan Bradley as captain at Bethpage Black.
Now the PGA of America is asking Woods to decide before the Masters whether he wants the job. Two people informed of the situation describe it more as a soft deadline than an ultimatum. They spoke on condition of anonymity because these matters are private.
The Ryder Cup captaincy has become a time-consuming job, and Woods sounds as though he is busier than ever. His most important role is chairman of the Future Competition Committee as it works toward one of the biggest and most complicated overhauls of the PGA Tour schedule.
Woods offered as much when he said, “I thought I spent a lot of hours practicing in my prime. It doesn’t even compare to what we’ve done in the boardroom.”
This is what drives him at the moment. He would love to be at the Masters, where in 2024 he set the record by making his 24th consecutive cut. He is a player at heart.
Woods looked good last week in his role as tournament host at the Genesis Invitational. More than one person noticed the purpose in his step — and how big he looked — just walking through the locker room. He was comfortable in his news conference and in the CBS booth with Jim Nantz and Trevor Immelman.
Good enough to compete while walking 72 holes at Augusta? Woods kept them guessing, too.
