After one of the most surprising captaincy decisions in the game’s history ahead of this year’s Ryder Cup, the US team seem have to opted for a less risky choice ahead of the next Presidents Cup, with Brandt Snedeker appointed ahead of Medinah.
Brandt Snedeker was a vice-captain during the most recent Presidents Cup, while he will perform a similar role under Keegan Bradley at the Ryder Cup. And perhaps he may be a leading contender to take on the captaincy should Bradley make the team as a player and step aside from the top job.
Bradley was given the captaincy after Tiger Woods turned down the role. Of course, there are few dynamics in golf more intriguing than Tiger Woods and his relationship with the Ryder Cup, with his record in the event nothing like what it should really be.
Woods has been exceptional in the Presidents Cup. And obviously, he led the side to victory in 2019 as playing-captain. The 15-time major champion won all three of his matches at Royal Melbourne.
Brandt Snedeker suggests whether he will ask Tiger Woods to be a vice-captain at the Presidents Cup
The 49-year-old has not been involved in the event since then – in a prominent role anyway. But with Woods’ season thought to be over after he ruptured his Achilles, perhaps he will have more time to take on backroom roles, including at next year’s Presidents Cup.
And when asked about whether he will ask Woods to be a vice-captain, Snedeker told the Sky Sports Golf Podcast that he will certainly be tempted to have a conversation.
“Tiger will have as much say in what he wants to do as possible. Tiger’s obviously a good friend of mine, and obviously, a hero of mine. I’ve looked to him for a long time. So Tiger can have whatever role he wants,” he said.
“We love having him around, he’s such a great guy to have in team rooms. I played on three cups with him, and I know exactly what he brings to the team room. He’s mellowed in his role of being kind of an elder statesman out here on tour, not only in the work he does on the golf course, but off the golf course. So our guys look up to him greatly, they look up to him a ton. I’ll lean on him as much as he’ll allow me, as much as he wants to have a role, he’ll have whatever role he wants.”
What Tiger Woods said about captaining the 2019 Presidents Cup team
It remains to be seen if Woods will captain the US Ryder Cup team one day. It would certainly be a shame if he did not take on the role at some point.
His stint as Presidents Cup captain proved to be a success, with the US securing a narrow win against the Internationals. And Woods suggested after securing victory that it was one of the most special accomplishments of his career.
“It’s been one of the more amazing challenges, but you know, Stricks and Coups and Zach, they were amazing. All the guys, they believed in one another. We relied on one another as a team and we did it together,” he said in 2019.
It is hard to imagine Woods feeling that way about team competition early on in his career. So all bets are off when it comes to predicting what role he will play in the two events in the years to come.
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