The USA Ryder Cup focus has rapidly turned to who will captain the side in 2027, when Adare Manor plays host.
Tiger Woods could captain the USA Ryder Cup team next time out, a role that was filled by Keegan Bradley this year.
Bradley has come in for criticism for his leadership in New York, where the USA were defeated 15-13 by Team Europe.
The USA also lost the 2023 Ryder Cup to their rivals in Rome, with major change clearly needed in order to stop that trend.
Bradley likely won’t return as USA captain, having been outshone by European leader Luke Donald on home soil.
What Paul Azinger has heard about USA’s next Ryder Cup captain
Donald could stay as European Ryder Cup captain, but it remains to be seen which two leaders will go head-to-head at Adare Manor.
Former winning Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger has now added to the discussion, having been asked on Golf’s Subpar if Woods is ‘the next guy’ in charge.
READ MORE: Phil Mickelson makes clear announcement over if he wants to be America’s next Ryder Cup captain
Azinger replied: “It’s kind of what I heard but I’m not sure he would take that. If I’m Tiger I want to be the captain at home.
“I would not want to go and captain over there. Not my first. I wanted to captain at home and I’m glad that I did.
“It’s so hard to win on the road and America struggles so much, why would you submit yourself to that? Nowadays you get criticised so hard. You could change your whole legacy accepting the captain’s role.
“It changed Hal Sutton’s legacy, which is a shame, this is one of the greatest players but it’s like ‘oh he’s a bad Ryder Cup captain because he put Tiger and Phil [Mickelson] together’.
“Well, Tiger and Phil could have played great! But they played the toughest duo in Padraig Harrington and Colin Montgomerie.
“It’s a tough thing to be captain and get scorched if you don’t win. You can do everything right and just get outplayed.
“I don’t think Curtis [Strange] made a single mistake as a captain but we got beat and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
What Tiger Woods could achieve by winning an away Ryder Cup as captain
Several factors are, of course, at play at the prestigious tournament, including the quality of players involved on both sides.
But given Bradley had control of the Bethpage Black setup and the backing of a noisy crowd, he perhaps should have done much better.
The tables will now turn at Adare Manor, where Europe can claim a remarkable third successive title over the USA, with the added advantage of home support.
Regardless of what may happen in Ireland in 2027, it would be near-impossible for legendary figure Woods to tarnish his glittering reputation.
But as Azinger suggested, the 15-time major champion would be opening himself up for criticism should he take on the role and fail.
A home Ryder Cup would, therefore, be the safer option for Woods, with his sights perhaps set on Hazeltine in 2029.
Intriguingly, however, given Woods’s poor Ryder Cup record as a player, winning an away event as captain may be exactly what he needs to complete his legacy.
It really is his only blemish on his otherwise phenomenal and incomparable career in the sport, which hopefully isn’t finished yet.
Azinger certainly did his reputation the world of good at the tournament, captaining the USA to Ryder Cup success at Valhalla in 2008.
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