Tiger: players have bearing on wildcards

Woods reflects on favourite Ryder Cup memories and his new ‘senior’ status

Star striper: Tiger reckons Davis Love will consult his team before deciding on his four captain’s picks

Tiger Woods has suggested that US Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III will canvas the opinion of the players already qualified for the American side before deciding on his four captain’s picks.

Asked how he’d go about solving Love’s selection conundrum, Woods replied: “Well, I’m not the captain, I’m a player … we have assistant captains, and I know he’s probably getting some feedback from the players on who they want on the team and who he thinks would gel well with our team.”

The 14-time major winner conceded, though, that the final say would come down to the captain.

“Ultimately it comes down to one guy,” said Woods, who himself relied upon a captain’s pick from Corey Pavin to make the previous US Ryder Cup side. “It comes down to Davis and what he thinks is best for the team.”

Woods’ first appearance in the biennial match came in the 1997 match at Valderrama. Then just 22, fresh from his first major victory, Woods said he looked to the “leaders of the team”: Love, Fred Couples and Mark O’Meara.

This time around, he realises the younger players in the US side will be looking to him and a few other senior players to play a similar role.

“It’s different now,” he observed. “When I first came out because I wasn’t one of the leaders of the team. I was just one of the young guys, just making the teams. It was Davis and Freddie and O’Meara and Payne Stewart. Those guys were the leaders of all the teams that I played on during my first few years. We had a very good senior nucleus.

“Now I’m part of that class. It’s Jim , myself, Phil , we’ve been on every team together since ’97. Phil was on the team in ’95. So we’ve gotten together for so many teams now, and now we’re part of the veteran crew, which is different.”

With the match at Medinah now less than a month away, Woods was also invited to recall his favourite memory of from his seven Ryder Cup appearances. He opted for America’s controversial come-from-behind win at Brookline, Boston in 1999.

“Obviously ’99 probably tops everything, being part of that comeback,” he said, before adding that, though they ultimately lost the match, pairing up with this year’s captain at the Belfry in 2002 was also a special memory.

“We went out there and I played probably one of the best Ryder Cup matches I’ve ever played,” Tiger recalled. “I shot 63 with my own ball in the fourball, and we won the match one-up over Sergio and Westwood, and we were, I believe, one-down with two to go. It was a big match to turn it to all square going into the singles session.”

The 1999 match at Brookline was infamously marred with antagonism between the teams and abuse hurled at the European side from so-called ‘fans’. Tiger revealed that he too has had to endure some rough receptions while playing in Europe.

“I think it has to do with the environment,” he concluded. “Sometimes it can get a little bit rough, the gallery can get on people. They got on Monty pretty hard at Brookline, and I’ve had my moments in Europe, as well.”

Woods has enjoyed something of a muted resurgence this year. A trio of impressive victories in 2012 have propelled him back up to third in the world rankings, to the top of Team USA Qualifying, and also to the summit of the PGA Tour Money List. However, in the majors – where, ultimately, he will always be measured – Tiger’s performances have been somewhat subdued.

After suffering through a long period hampered by injury and personal problems, though, he reflects on this season as a success so far.

“You can’t really look at it as real bad going on this year,” said Woods. “Most of the year, I was leading the Money List, I was No. 1 in FedExCup points and I won three times, so it’s not like it’s been that bad.”

And on his damp squib major showings?

“It’s just a couple rounds here and there or it’s an up‑and‑down here and there or it’s making one putt, which is not good. So that’s a good thing.”

Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered