Woods turns down vice-captaincy

After losing his star player to “that” knee injury, it just goes from bad to worse for American Ryder Cup Captain Paul Azinger. Not only has Tiger Woods' knee surgery put him out of action for the big match, the World number one has also turned down an offer to be Azinger's Vice-Captain at Valhalla.

The decision will add fuel to the perception that Woods does not like the Ryder Cup, but he insists his decision was made for the benefit of the team. Tiger's reasoning is that the Ryder Cup should be about the players, and he wouldn't want to take any of the limelight away from those who are able to tee it up in September. And if Woods were to travel as Vice-Captain, it wouldn't be a surprise to see more cameras and attention on him walking the fairways than the players trying to compete on them.

But the debate will rage on as to whether Woods should have been there to help what may be an inexperienced side, and how much the Ryder Cup really means to the 14-time major-winner.

There will also be a feeling that the decision to offer Woods the role was born out of desperation from Azinger, who is facing the prospect of taking a relatively weak side to Valhalla, trying to mastermind America's first victory since 1999.