Tiger Woods could soon be unveiled as Teams USA’s next Ryder Cup captain, according to a report.
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Per SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio host Jason Sobel, the announcement for Zach Johnson’s successor could be made imminently.
Woods is understandably the frontrunner to lead the U.S. next September at Bethpage Black in New York.
Zach Johnson’s red, white and blue were defeated 16 ½ – 11 ½ on European soil last September.
Johnson came in for heavy criticism and was labelled by some as America’s worst captain ever.
Before a ball was struck at Marco Simone Golf & County Club in Italy, Johnson’s decision-making came under scrutiny.
Chief of which was how he prepared the team, with many of his players taking five weeks off before the dust-up.
Johnson also raised eyebrows when he decided to sit big guns Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in the opening session where they were swept 4-0.
Woods, 48, had previously distanced himself from the captaincy, citing his role in helping the PGA Tour broker a deal with LIV Golf’s backers as a reason why he may not be able to fully commit to the position.
But before the US PGA Championship at Valhalla, the hall of famer confirmed he had been ‘given space’ by the PGA of America to decide if he wants the captaincy.
Tiger Woods
The PGA of America are in no rush to appoint Johnson’s successor, despite Europe already having Luke Donald in place as captain.
Donald has also re-appointed Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn and Italian stats guru Edoardo ‘Dodo’ Molinari as two of his vice captains.
In his news conference before the second men’s major of the year, PGA of America chief executive Seth Waugh said: “We have picked captains later than this, we’ve picked captains earlier than this.
“Donald was named a year out a year ago and they had a pretty good performance, for instance.
“We think there’s plenty of time, and putting an artificial date on it is not something we need to do.”
Waugh, 65, has since stepped down from the role after six years. The search for his successor is already underwway.
Woods has made eight appearances as a player in the Ryder Cup between 1997 and 2018. He was on the winning side just once, in 1999.
His Ryder Cup record is a puzzling one: 13 wins, 21 losses and three halved matches.
Woods served as a vice-captain at Hazeltine in 2016 when Davis Love III’s side routed Team Europe 17-11.
He was supposed to be a vice-captain in 2018 but ended up playing after receiving a wildcard pick.
Woods missed out on involvement in the 2021 Ryder Cup as he was recovering from the injuries he sustained in his car crash.
And he sent messages of support to the team last September.
Tiger Woods
The other candidates
Stewart Cink
Cink has played on five Ryder Cup teams, tasting victory once in 2008.
The former Open champion is a respected figure in the game.
Matt Kuchar
The 46-year-old is one of the most underrated PGA Tour players out there.
He’s played on four Ryder Cup teams and served as a vice-captain at the 2018 contest in Paris.
Fred Couples
Another experienced head.
Couples has played in five Ryder Cups and only lost twice.
He has previously captain Team USA to Presidents Cup success.
It’s somewhat surprising he hasn’t been named as the captain before.
Steve Stricker
A popular, safe option.
Stricker led Team USA to one of their most dominant victories at Whistling Straits.
He has previously said that he wouldn’t return to the role, though.