America's Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III has guaranteed former world number one Tiger Woods a place in his 2012 Ryder Cup team.

Love follows the example set by President Cup captain Fred Couples, who made it clear that Woods would be selected for the tournament if he did not qualify automatically.

"I'm hoping for Tiger's sake he has a full healthy season next year and we're not in this situation," said Love.

"I would love to play as Tiger Woods's partner in the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup so I will probably have to go with exactly what Fred did."

The fourteen-time major champion has slipped to 50th in the world rankings since taking a break from the game for personal reasons.