‘Love erred with Tiger’
EUROPE’S Lee Westwood believes Tiger Woods could have an adverse effect on America’s Ryder Cup chances after the 14-time Major winner was named as a vice-captain on the US team.
Woods has not played competitive golf since the Wyndham championship in August last year, and has been sidelined for much of the past year while recovering from multiple back surgeries.
The former world No 1 was recruited by US captain Davis Love III as a team tactician for next week’s event, but Westwood, a wildcard pick for Europe, said he was not convinced Woods’s presence would have the desired impact.
“I don’t know what impact there will be from having Tiger around,” Westwood said.
“They have always struggled to find a partner for Tiger who’s been successful. He could have an adverse effect in the team room. People have always seemed to try to do too much when they have partnered him.
“It might be different if he’s one of the vice-captains, you don’t know.”
Europe, fielding six rookies in Minnesota, will be gunning for an unprecedented fourth consecutive Ryder Cup victory next week, and Westwood expects the pressure to be firmly on the hosts to deliver.
“They have got a strong side and probably are favourites, but they haven’t won it for a while and they are playing in front of a home crowd.
“There is a lot of pressure on them. That is going to keep building in the next week or so, and by the time the Ryder Cup comes around it is going to be pretty intense for them.”
Love will announce his final wildcard pick on Sunday and Westwood, making his 10th consecutive Ryder Cup appearance, questioned the American captain’s omission of one former Major winner.
“There seem to have been issues about team spirit and chemistry. Love has not picked Bubba Watson, and I don’t know what that does for team spirit; he was first outside the points qualification and is No 7 in the world.”
Meanwhile, throwing diplomacy to the wind, American hotshot Dustin Johnson said he did not want to be paired with five-time Major champion Phil Mickelson.
“I think I can partner pretty well with pretty much anyone, except for Phil,” world No 2 Johnson said on the eve of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
“Me and Phil don’t partner well together,” added Johnson, in what amounted to a public plea to Love.
Johnson made it clear he had no personal issue with Mickelson, with whom he regularly plays practice rounds before tournaments, usually with a wager on the line.
“We play well against each other,” said Johnson. “I love Phil and we’re great friends, but we have a lot more fun when we’re playing against each other.” Johnson’s antipathy to partnering Mickelson stretches back to the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in Wales, when the two were paired for the opening-day foursomes and fourballs. They lost both matches 3&2. Mickelson also had a nightmare partnership with Tiger Woods at the 2004 Ryder Cup.
The Ryder Cup begins at the Hazeltine National Golf Club next Friday. – Reuters