GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy — Team Europe already has voiced its preference that it would like to see Luke Donald return as captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. If that’s the choice, he would be the first repeat captain since Bernard Gallacher in 1991, 1993 and 1995.
As for the Americans, might they consider their own back-to-back captain?
Tiger Woods was thought to be the logical choice for Bethpage Black a year ago, especially when Phil Mickelson effectively lost his chance as a chief recruiter for Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
Woods also was seen as a viable option for Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027. The question to consider as the U.S. Ryder Cup committee starts to meet is whether Woods would be interested in both.
Ben Hogan in 1947 and 1949 was the only American to be captain two times in a row.
Discussions aren’t expected to start until later this year at the earliest — U.S. captains typically are announced around February.
The six-member committee that decides the next Ryder Cup captain comprises Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, along with the PGA president John Lindert and vice president Don Rea and CEO Seth Waugh.
The other part of the equation for the American crew is opening doors for future captains. The idea behind the Ryder Cup task force that was formed after the 2014 matches was to build some continuity among the U.S. teams. Instead, it has become a closed shop.
Johnson was a relative newcomer to the U.S. leadership as the captain. He had been an assistant four times in the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup.
Steve Stricker has been part of every U.S. team as a captain or an assistant since 2014 (the two times he was captain, his U.S. team won 19-11 in the Presidents Cup and 19-9 in the Ryder Cup). Davis Love III never seems to be left home. Ditto for Fred Couples and Jim Furyk.
The key is to see whom Furyk, the 2018 Ryder Cup captain and now the Presidents Cup captain for 2024 in Montreal, selects as his assistants for next year.
Stewart Cink was a first-time assistant at Marco Simone. Matt Kuchar and David Duval were assistants in Paris in 2018, though neither was invited back.
Former PGA champion David Toms was overlooked as a Ryder Cup captain, just like another PGA champion, Larry Nelson, was before him. Toms, however, has never been an assistant at either of the cups, leading to speculation that he’s not part of the club.
