“I have never been happy with that,” said Woods, at Mount Juliet in Ireland this week to try for a third successive victory in the American Express world championship.

“To get the true team that’s playing the best we’re going to have to go to a one-year period, like the Europeans do.”

This year’s American side was actually chosen over three seasons, but that was a one-off caused by the postponement of the 2001 side. Stewart Cink was the only member of the team who had won a tournament since the end of May.

Woods is also interested in a vice-captain’s role.

“I’d like to work with the captain on the pairings and team strategy and working on the whole concept of bringing the team together and doing what I can to make our team successful at the end of the week.

“I basically kind of do that now, but if I were a vice-captain it would have an official role.”

That does not mean, however, he would have stopped Sutton pairing him with Phil Mickelson, a move that back-fired horribly with two first day defeats.

“We were so close to winning both matches, but we just didn’t get it done. It happens,” he added.

“We were excited about playing together. We were both playing well going into the event.”

With his close friend Mark O’Meara heavily tipped to take over from Sutton, Woods can expect to be heavily involved in America’s planning for their bid to prevent a fifth defeat in six matches at the K Club in Dublin in 2006.