Captain Tiger Woods?

Jack Nicklaus has a 2-1-1 record as captain of the American team in the Presidents Cup. His latest accomplishment as a captain came this week at Royal Montreal when his American team beat the International squad 19.5 to 14.5. The Golden Bear has been constantly lauded by his players for his relaxed approach to the matches and allowing the players to determine their playing companions and positions in the competition. The result has been two consecutive American victories and a tie in South Africa against the odds.

Nicklaus' success as captain of the Presidents Cup team has led some in the media to wonder why the PGA of America — operator of the Ryder Cup — has not contacted him about being the captain of the American squad for that format, as well. Nicklaus responded to those suggestions by saying that he would certainly answer the call if he was asked. That would have to wait, though, since Paul Azinger is already the captain for the 2008 Ryder Cup to be played at Valhalla next September.

While I would love for Nicklaus to become the next Ryder Cup captain, the PGA of America has made a commitment to installing captains that are much closer to the age of players on the team. For whatever reason, the PGA feels that captains that are not too far away from their prime days on the PGA Tour would be best able to identify the talent needed for making captain's picks selections and pairing players together. Despite evidence to the contrary in Nicklaus, the PGA of America is likely to continue selecting players with current PGA Tour status as captains.

Keeping the selection criteria in mind, I would like to make a proposal. Tiger Woods should become the Ryder Cup captain in 2010. That's right. I am proposing that Tiger Woods become player captain for the American squad in their next trip to Europe. It sounds a little crazy, right? Let me explain why it is not all that nutty of an idea.

Tiger Woods fits the age criteria. While Woods will not be in his 40s when 2010 rolls around, he will be age 35. He certainly will still be an active player on the PGA Tour (well, his version of active) and has a great eye for player capabilities. Woods consistently beats every opponent thrown his way, so he almost certainly is forced to evaluate what each does well and what they could stand to improve upon in the Ryder Cup format.

Woods certainly more than meets the threshold for player accomplishment in order to qualify as captain. He has 13 majors and 61 PGA Tour victories to his credit to date. It is very likely that he will have at least several more by 2010. Outside of those 13 majors, Woods has an impeccable amateur match play record and has done extremely well in professional singles match play competition. He knows the format and knows what it takes to win.

I mentioned the performance of Woods in the majors over the course of his career. It is not out of the question that Woods could win his 19th major championship in the 2010 season. Golf World writer Ron Sirak proposed the idea and I've covered it in my blog. With the major championship venues of the next three seasons, Woods will probably be holding up a lot of trophies. What a great opportunity it would be for the PGA of America to ride on the coat tails of Woods' achievement. It would also provide a chance for Woods to put a feather in the cap of his career by captaining the Americans to a victory in the same year — were the stars to align properly, of course.

For Woods to be a player captain would be unprecedented territory in the modern format of the Ryder Cup. Though player captains were commonplace in the competition into the 1960s, there has not been an American player captain since Arnold Palmer in 1975. The King was also player captain in 1963, making Jerry Barber the last man other than Palmer to fill the role (1961). Even though captains in recent years have been of playing age, they have not been at the point in their careers where they could legitimately have a shot at making their own team. Perhaps it is time to entertain the idea again of naming a captain that could be playing for himself. In the case of Woods, there would be almost no doubt that he would make the team and would signify another achievement that Woods would have that his idol would not.

Is what I'm proposing likely? Of course not. It's probably impossible. The truth is, though, that the current selection criteria for the Ryder Cup captaincy are just not working for the United States. Since 1983, the USA is 4-7-1 and are losers of three in a row. Drastic change may have to be made if what Captain Azinger has done does not result in an American win. So, just in case that does not happen, I implore the PGA of America to keep this idea on file. I would guarantee that the most fiery competitor golf may very well have ever seen would not let his team lose five in a row.