HONOLULU – On Tuesday, the European Tour named Padraig Harrington the Continent’s 2020 Ryder Cup captain, ending months of speculation that the Irishman would be tabbed to replace Thomas Bjorn.
For the U.S. team, Steve Stricker is the presumptive favorite to succeed Jim Furyk as captain when the matches are played at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin, which is about 100 miles northeast of Stricker’s home in Madison.
Although many see Stricker as the easy choice, the 51-year-old wasn’t giving away any secrets on Wednesday when he spoke with the media at the Sony Open.
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“It’s something that I would be truly honored and excited to do right there in my home state of Wisconsin and right down the road, couple hours down the road,” Stricker said. “But no one knows yet for sure. Got to hold off and put it in the [PGA of America’s] hands, and the committee that’s making the decision and go from there.”
Stricker was captain of the U.S. Presidents Cup team in 2017 that beat the International side by eight points. He also served as one of Furyk’s vice captains at last year’s Ryder Cup in Paris. Although it’s not been announced, it also seems likely Stricker will be one of Tiger Woods’ vice captains for this year’s Presidents Cup.
“Helping Tiger at the end of this year, and I enjoy being a part of that process with whoever the captain may be,” he said.