Tiger named vice captain for 2016 Ryder Cup

United States Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III today announced that Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods would serve as three of his five vice captains for the 2016 Ryder Cup, which will take place Sept. 27-Oct. 2 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.

Upon being named U.S. captain on Feb. 24, 2015, Love immediately appointed Minnesota native Tom Lehman as a vice captain. Lehman, the 2006 U.S. captain, was a member of three Ryder Cup teams.

Love will name his fifth and final vice captain at a later date.

“To welcome four vice captains of this caliber is a giant first step toward preparing the 2016 team for success,” said Love, who made today’s appointments from the RSM Classic. “Tom, Jim, Steve and Tiger have over 50 years of combined Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup experiences that they are eager to share. They’ll also be my eyes and ears from event to event next year on TOUR. That’s invaluable, and as captain, I am grateful for their commitment, dedication and passion to win.”

The 45-year-old Furyk has played in nine consecutive Ryder Cups (1997, ’99, 2002, ’04, ’06, ’08, ’10, ’12, ’14), which is the second most in U.S. Ryder Cup history (Phil Mickelson, 10). A West Chester, Pennsylvania, native, Furyk was a member of winning U.S. Ryder Cup efforts in 1999 and 2008. A 17-time winner on the PGA TOUR, Furyk also played in seven Presidents Cups and served as a vice captain at the 2015 Presidents Cup.

“I am honored to be named a vice captain for the 2016 U.S. Ryder Cup team,” said Furyk, the 2003 U.S. Open champion. “The Ryder Cup is in my DNA, and I love everything about this event: the enormity of the stage, the passion, the competition and the pressure. I look forward to being part of the team as we strive to win back the Ryder Cup on U.S. soil.”

This is Stricker’s second stint as a Ryder Cup vice captain. He was a U.S. vice captain at Gleneagles in 2014 and served in the same capacity last month at the Presidents Cup in South Korea. Stricker, 48, played for the U.S. in three Ryder Cups (2008, ’10, 12) and was on the winning side in 2008 at Valhalla. A native of Edgerton, Wisconsin, Stricker has 12 PGA TOUR victories on his resume, as well as five Presidents Cups.

“Having known Davis for such a long time, I am thrilled to join him and the 2016 U.S. Ryder Cup team as vice captain,” Stricker said. “We learned a great deal from the Ryder Cup Task Force meetings, and we are optimistic about our plans for 2016 and beyond. I think about the Ryder Cup all the time. There is nothing quite like it in sports. I am ready to roll up my sleeves, get started and get up to Hazeltine.”

Woods’ appointment is his first as a vice captain. A 39-year-old native of Cypress, California, Woods will draw upon a wide array of playing experiences gained in seven Ryder Cups (1997, ’99, 2002, ’04, ’06, ’10, ’12) and eight Presidents Cups. Fourteen of Woods’ 79 career victories on the PGA TOUR have come in major championships, including four PGA Championships. Woods is a record 11-time recipient of the PGA of America’s PGA Player of the Year Award.

“I’d like to thank Davis for his confidence in me and for my selection as a Ryder Cup vice captain. This is something I want to do,” Woods said. “I will continue to do whatever I can to help win the Cup back. Once I’m fully healthy, I’d like to try to make the team too, but either way, I’m very excited to work with Davis, the other vice captains and the players to get a U.S. victory.”

In the event that any vice captains qualify for, or are named to, the U.S. Ryder Cup team, Love will have the option to name replacements.