Woods has not played since August and is currently sidelined after undergoing his third back operation in the space of 19 months at the end of October, with no timetable set for his return to action.

So when the 14-time major winner was chosen, along with Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker, as a vice-captain to Davis Love for next year’s Ryder Cup at Hazeltine on Wednesday, it was impossible not to jump to conclusions.

Woods is currently ranked 384th in the world and turns 40 at the end of the year. His last major victory came in the 2008 US Open and his quest to equal or surpass the record of 18 held by Jack Nicklaus appears more forlorn with every passing season.

.@Love3D announces that Jim Furyk, @stevestricker, @TigerWoods will be 3 of his Vice Captains for #TeamUSA in 2016 pic.twitter.com/fQVs2YbCGK

— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) November 18, 2015

But Love insists Woods has not given up hope of making an eighth Ryder Cup appearance in 10 months’ time, or even of combining playing with his new back-room role.

“Tiger wants to be a playing assistant, that’s his goal,” Love said during a press conference ahead of the RSM Classic in Sea Island.

“Tiger is so excited about it. He wants to be involved in any way. I’ve talked to him several times over the last few weeks, about his back, about how he’s feeling, how he’s practising. He wants to make the team. That’s his number one goal. But he’s also committed to helping me and the team do anything to win.

“Tiger is very capable of doing both. He’s a different kind of player, a different kind of person.”

Woods has been on just one winning Ryder Cup team, at Brookline in 1999, missing both the United States’ last victory in 2008 and last year’s defeat at Gleneagles through injury.

The 39-year-old has lost 17 of his 33 matches and admitted he would rather win a WGC event than the Ryder Cup a week before the 2002 contest, while his concession to Francesco Molinari on the final hole at Medinah in 2012 ensured an outright European win instead of a possible tie.

Love insists Woods does care about team competitions, revealing that he received numerous texts from the former world number one while acting as vice-captain to Jay Haas during the recent Presidents Cup.

And Open champion Zach Johnson is in the same camp, adding: “I don’t think people should question Tiger’s love for the Ryder Cup. He’s flat-out said he wants to be on this team. Tiger is a competitor, first. If he can’t play, he’s going to be a great assistant captain. He has a wealth of experience.

“Tiger cares. He’s passionate.”

The final word belongs with Woods himself, whose poor overall record belies the fact that he has only lost one singles match, to Italy’s Costantino Rocca on his debut in 1997.

“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 US victory.”