Tiger Woods sparks three-way fight for captaincy after Ryder Cup snub boosts Europe

TigeR WOODS (Image: Getty)

Team Europe have been handed an early boost ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup after Tiger Woods reportedly turned down the American captaincy. Just a day before Team USA are due to confirm who will lead their bid to regain the trophy at Bethpage Black, the news surrounding Woods has prompted a late scramble for the role, with three new names in the frame.

Stewart Cink, Fred Couples and Davis Love III have all emerged as potential candidates.

It leaves the hosts in a vastly different position to their opponents, who confirmed as early as last November that Luke Donald would retain the captaincy after victory in Rome.

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The withdrawal of Woods from the running will be perceived as a psychological boost to Team Europe. The 48-year-old, who cited his roles on the boards of the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Enterprises as potential hindrances, had been widely expected to take charge of his country’s quest to win back the silverware.

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But his reluctance suggests he’s unsure of the credentials of his team to hit back in September next year. A fired up Team Europe were inspired by Rory McIlroy in Italy as they won with an overall score of 16.5 to 11.5.

During his prime, Woods was consistently accused of being too single-minded to ever truly embrace the Ryder Cup or team events. However, his relationship with the PGA as thawed in his twilight years, with bosses hopeful his famous winning mentality could rub off on players. 

Team Europe celebrate their 2023 win in Rome. (Image: Getty)

But back at the PGA Championship in May, Woods was noncommittal when pressed on whether he’d take the role. And he implied he would only do it if he could give the job the necessary time and commitment.

“We're still working on what that might look like, also whether or not I have the time to do it,” he said in Valhalla. “I'm dedicating so much time to what we're doing with the PGA Tour, I don't want to not fulfil the role of the captaincy if I can't do it.”

The potential of Cink, Couples, or Love stepping up to replace him won’t be a development likely to strike fear into Team Europe either. And whoever takes the role will now have to shake the notion they they were evidently not the first choice of the authorities.

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The Americans have won three of the last four Ryder Cups to take place on home soil. The one exception came in 2012, when they left stunned by the ‘Miracle in Medinah’ which saw Team Europe storm back from four points down on the final day to gain an outright win.

Woods was given the responsibility of anchoring his side in the singles that day. However, he missed a short putt on the final hole which meant he halved his match with Francesco Molinari, giving Europe a 14.5 to 13.5 win.

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Tiger Woods sparks three-way fight for captaincy after Ryder Cup snub boosts Europe

Tiger Woods sparks three-way fight for captaincy after Ryder Cup snub boosts Europe

Tiger Woods sparks three-way fight for captaincy after Ryder Cup snub boosts Europe

Tiger Woods sparks three-way fight for captaincy after Ryder Cup snub boosts Europe

Tiger Woods sparks three-way fight for captaincy after Ryder Cup snub boosts Europe