Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson join U.S. Ryder Cup task force

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will headline an 11-member task force created to address a recent history of defeat for the U.S. team at the Ryder Cup.

PGA officials said the group will consider a range of issues, including selection of captains and players and the deadline for making the final discretionary choices.

“I think this is a great step by the PGA to accomplish what we all want -- to win the Ryder Cup,” Woods said in a statement released by the Professional Golfers’ Assn. of America on Tuesday. “The Ryder Cup is very important to every player who has the honor to represent his country.”

The PGA created the task force in the wake of yet another disappointment at the biennial competition. Last month’s one-sided loss at Gleneagles, in Scotland, gave the European team eight victories in the last 10 Cups.

Friction between U.S. captain Tom Watson and his players became evident during the event. There was also much debate about Watson making his three discretionary picks in early September, before the conclusion of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Several golfers who surged late in the season -- including Billy Horschel and Chris Kirk -- were left off the roster.

“The Ryder Cup is our most prized competitive asset, and the PGA of America is committed to utilizing our utmost energy and resources to support one of the biggest events in all of sport,” Ted Bishop, PGA president, said in a statement.

The task force’s other members are: past captains Raymond Floyd, Tom Lehman and Davis Love III, past team members Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker, and PGA executives Derek Sprague, Pete Bevacqua and Paul Levy.

The 41st Ryder Cup is to be played at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota in September 2016.