A more cautionary tone about Watson's prospects was voiced by Europe's 2010 Ryder Cup winning captain Colin Montgomerie.
"What happens if he fails?" he said. "He has to win now. If he doesn't succeed at Gleneagles what's going to happen in 2016? There is a lot of pressure on Tom Watson, but he can handle that – I'm sure he can. I personally wish him well.
"It will be a task for anybody to take on Tom Watson because he is very well respected, very well liked and loved here in Scotland."
Former US PGA Championship winner Toms, 45, had been considered favourite before speculation grew that four-time Ryder Cup competitor Watson would return to the post after he said at the Australian Open that it would be "a great honour"to accept the challenge.
Only Paul Azinger in 2008 has led the US to success in the previous six tournaments, in a spell which has also seen Love, Corey Pavin, Tom Lehman, Hal Sutton and Curtis Strange fall short.
Watson is the first repeat captain for the US since Jack Nicklaus in 1987, and said he hoped his experience would ensure there would be no repeat of the collapse which saw the US throw away a four-point lead going into the final day in Chicago last September.
"I've lived for that pressure, lived underneath that pressure all of my career and I just hope I can set the table for these players to go out," he said.
"I'm a stage manager, I set the stage for them and they go out and perform their act and in two years I hope that we can get it done."
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