The favourites to succeed Zach Johnson as US Ryder Cup captain for 2025 have been announced and the list includes a surprising name.
It was announced Monday morning that the PGA of America would name Team USA’s captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup on Tuesday at noon ET. Tiger Woods has reportedly been in charge for the past few months.
However, the 15-time major winner has lost the chance to lead the Americans against Europe in front of a jubilant New York crowd in Bethpage Black next year, according to The Telegraph.
With the 48-year-old out of the race, there seems to be no clear favourite, with the bookies even looking at a number of outsiders.
According to statistics, Donald Trump could find himself in the running for the Ryder Cup and the race for the White House this year.
Donald Trump (right) emerged as an outsider for the US Ryder Cup captaincy after Tiger Woods (left) reportedly turned down the opportunity
The former president has been named as an outsider for the job and is said to be a 500/1 chance to lead the US against Luke Donald’s European team, according to BonusCodeBets.
Trump, who snubbed Democratic opponent Joe Biden with his handicap talk during the recent presidential debate, claims he plays with 2.5 and regularly brags about the club championships he has won.
He’s also no stranger to splitting his time between the golf course and the Oval Office. He’s played every 6.3 days during his term, but with a mere 0.2 percent chance of being elected captain, it’s highly unlikely Trump will have to trade the West Wing for Bethpage Black.
Stewart Cink is the bookmakers’ favourite for the role, despite reports that Keegan Bradleywho was overlooked as a captain’s choice by Zach Johnson last year, could be a surprise pick.
Cink is listed at odds of 2/1, ahead of his nearest rivals Fred Couples at 9/4 and Davis Love III at 3/1.
Couples has captained three U.S. Presidents Cup teams and has been vice-captain of the Ryder Cup three times. However, he has never captained a Ryder Cup team.
Love III has the most recent experience of the three contenders, having led the U.S. to victory over Trevor Immelman’s International team at the 2022 Presidents Cup in Quail Hollow.
He also captained the US to victory in Hazeltine in 2016 as Ryder Cup captain, giving him two victories as captain and a 25 percent chance of repeating the feat.
The 2009 Open winner, Stewart Cink, was the bookmakers’ favourite on Monday afternoon
Fred Couples (left) and Davis Love III (right) are also considered contenders for the role
Phil Mickelson’s chances took a hit after he left for LIV Golf in 2022
Phil Mickelson, a three-time Ryder Cup winner and winner of 12 editions of the competition, has never held the rank of captain.
He could be a serious contender for the captaincy at Bethpage Black, where he was adored by the New York crowd and where he championed the hosting of the Ryder Cup.
However, he himself admitted that he had no chance of leading the Americans against the Europeans after his switch to LIV Golf in 2022. The odds seem to confirm that, putting him at 50/1.
Ahead of him are Matt Kuchar, 2021 captain Steve Stricker, 2018 captain Jim Furyk and Webb Simpson at 6/1, 8/1, 10/1 and 12/1 respectively.