Former Ryder Cup-winning captain Paul Azinger has suggested that Tiger Woods could be chosen to captain the United States team at Bethpage Black in 2025.
Azinger was on NBC commentary duty as captain Zach Johnson failed to inspire Team USA at Marco Simone, with their drought on European soil now extending beyond 30 years.
Johnson has been widely criticised for his role in yet another convincing defeat on the road. The US team had six of the world’s top ten players and multiple major champions in their ranks, but were outfought and outthought by the worthy Europeans.
“It’s not them, it’s on me,” Johnson said, immediately shouldering the blame as the inquest began.
“Maybe some poor decisions. I can reflect at some point. I don’t have any idea yet. It’s not about those 12 guys. They played so hard for each other and played so hard for our country.”
It remains to be seen whether Johnson will be involved in a Ryder Cup team room again, but attention will already now turn to Bethpage Black and the appointment of a new captain who will be tasked with lifting a beleaguered US side.
And according to Azinger, that responsibility will likely fall with the injury-ravaged Woods.
Azinger, who guided America to victory at Valhalla in 2008, has even predicted a somewhat inconceivable match-up between Woods and the exiled Sergio Garcia in raucous New York.
When Azinger’s co-commentator Dan Hicks speculated that “there’s a guy named Eldrick available,” in relation to the next captaincy, he replied: “Yeah, I think he might be the next captain.
“Bethpage Black would be a perfect matchup for he and Sergio Garcia actually. Who you never know, two years from now, where we’re going to be.” He then called that rivalry a possible “all-timer.”
It must be stressed that an immediate return to the European locker room as captain seems extremely unlikely for the currently ineligible Garcia, with the winning European skipper Luke Donald already being backed by his own players to take the job for two more years.
But the case with Woods is more intriguing. Yes, the 15-time major champion has a famously woeful Ryder Cup record. In fact, he has only ever been a part of one winning Ryder Cup team in his lifetime.
But the 47-year-old, who is still recovering in a bid to play competitive golf, is only set to play an extremely limited schedule if he does make another comeback. The US captaincy job seems destined to be his at some stage.
With the US team looking for inspiration, organisers could well turn to Woods with home advantage at Bethpage in 2005.
