The favourites to succeed Zach Johnson as US Ryder Cup captain for 2025 have emerged and the list includes one surprising name.
It was revealed Monday morning that the PGA of America will announce the captain of Team USA for the 2025 Ryder Cup at noon ET on Tuesday, and Tiger Woods is believed to be leading the race for the past few months.
However, the 15-time major winner turned down the chance to lead the Americans against Europe in front of a raucous New York crowd at Bethpage Black next year, according to The Telegraph.
Now that the 48-year-old is no longer in contention, there appears to be no clear favourite and bookmakers are even considering some unconventional candidates.
Donald Trump could find himself in the Ryder Cup race as well as the White House race this year, according to the odds.
Donald Trump (right) emerged as a long-shot to win 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, with 500/1 odds of leading the U.S. against Luke Donald’s European team, according to Betting bonus code.
Trump, who veered into handicap trash talk with Democratic opponent Joe Biden during the recent presidential debate, claims he plays to 2.5 and has regularly bragged about club championships he has won.
He’s also no stranger to splitting his time between the golf course and the Oval Office, having played every 6.3 days during his tenure, but with just a 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 has emerged as the bookies’ favourite for the job, despite reports that Keegan Bradleywho was overlooked as a captain’s pick by Zach Johnson last year, could be named a surprise pick.
Cink is listed at 2/1 ahead of his closest rivals, Fred Couples at 9/4 and Davis Love III at 3/1.
Couples has captained three U.S. Presidents Cup-winning teams and has been a Ryder Cup vice-captain three times, but has yet to captain a Ryder Cup team.
Meanwhile, Love III has the most recent experience of the trio of contenders, having led the United States to a triumph over Trevor Immelman’s International team in the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow.
He also led the United States to victory at Hazeltine as Ryder Cup captain in 2016, giving him two captaincy wins under his belt and a 25 percent chance of having a shot at repeating the feat.
2009 Open champion Stewart Cink was the bookies’ favourite on Monday afternoon.
Fred Couples (left) and Davis Love III (right) are also believed to be contenders for the role.
Phil Mickelson’s odds took a major hit after his defection to LIV Golf in 2022
Phil Mickelson, a three-time Ryder Cup winner with 12 editions of the competition under his belt, has never held the rank of captain.
He could have been considered a strong contender for the captaincy at Bethpage Black, where he has been adored by New York crowds and has advocated for the Ryder Cup to be held.
But he himself admitted he had no chance of leading the Americans into battle against the Europeans following his defection to LIV Golf in 2022 and the odds appear to reflect that, leaving him at 50/1.
Ahead of him are Matt Kuchar, 2021 captain Steve Stricker, 2018 boss Jim Furyk and Webb Simpson at 6/1, 8/1, 10/1 and 12/1 respectively.