STRICKER VOWS TO BE A FIGHTER
People don’t think I’m fiery but I am very competitive
Steve Stricker has promised to belie his gentle, soft-spoken image after being confirmed as US ryder cup captain for the 2020 edition taking place in his home state of Wisconsin at Whistling Straits.
‘Some people don’t think i’m fiery but deep down i’m very competitive and we want to win this cup back more than ever,’ declared the 51-year-old, who was close to tears during an emotional press conference.
Stricker becomes the first US captain in ryder cup history not to have won a major. He also doesn’t have much of a ryder cup record either, having been a member of one winning team and two losing sides in 2010 and 2012, where he lost all four of his matches at Medinah.
He is one of the most popular players on tour, however, and ought to have no trouble getting the team pulling in the same direction — a big plus following the Paris debacle last September, where what was supposed to be the most talented American side in history bickered and managed to lose by seven points.
Another bonus is there will be three weeks between the end of the Fedex cup play-offs and the ryder cup.
Last year, key players like tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were exhausted after going straight from the Fedex series into such an intense arena as the game’s leading match-play event.
the gap means Stricker can name all four of his wild cards at the same time, two days after the play-offs, rather than them being staggered like last time.
‘i think it’s a good move because waiting on a pick provides a few issues along the way,’ he said. ‘With the three weeks we have, we can make the selections, get everybody on the same page, work on the pairings and give our guys an opportunity to rest or work on their games.
‘europe’s talent and their formidable captain Padraig Harrington will present a great challenge but we will be focused on what we can achieve together in my home state.’
Woods, meanwhile, admits he already has one eye on getting himself ‘race ready’ for the Masters, even as he tries to win an incredible 19th World Golf championships title.
Woods ended a five-year winless drought by claiming his 80th PGA tour title in the tour championship last year, but has never made any secret of the fact that major titles are his primary target.
the last of the 43-year-old’s 14 majors to date came in the 2008 US Open and, although it is 14 years since the last of his four wins at Augusta National, Woods is firmly among the favourites for the green jacket in April.
‘Augusta started (being on my radar) probably back in October, November,’ Woods said in a pre-tournament press conference ahead of the WGc-Mexico championship.
‘thinking about shots i would need, clubs i’d be using for the event, what kind of swings i have been struggling with or doing well with, especially off uneven lies. And then obviously when you get to that event it’s about trying to get the speed of the greens.
‘Last year’s preparation was different and previous years it was non-existent. this year, to be able to ramp up a schedule and be able to know what i can do going into the event is a lot more comforting than it has been in previous years because it has been kind of an unknown going into that event.’
Woods missed the Masters for the second year running in 2017 and subsequently underwent spinal fusion surgery in a last-ditch bid to save his career.
the gamble paid off and, after a tentative return to action in the Hero World challenge that December, Woods recorded a win and six other top tens in 2018, including a tie for sixth in the Open championship and a runners-up finish in the US PGA.
After playing just 24 events between 2014 and 2017, the biggest problem for Woods is now figuring which event to leave out of his schedule.
‘From here on out it’s very complicated,’ added Woods. ‘Next week (Honda classic) is at home for me, then there’s an event that i’ve won eight times (Arnold Palmer invitational), then another i’ve won a couple of times (Players championship) and then the week after is where i had an unbelievable week last year (valspar championship).
‘What i’m trying to figure out is how much to play, how much is too much, how much is not enough and at the end of the day being race ready enough for April.’