WILL TIGER HAVE CLAWS OUT?
A completely different Tiger will have his claws sharpened in Paris
Tiger Woods is a certainty to be playing at the Ryder Cup next month.
That is great news for the USA, golf fans and the match itself. Nobody thought this was likely 12 months ago. We even wondered if Tiger would make it back onto a golf course at all. His comeback this year has been thrilling. With each tournament he has played, his golf has got better. The doubts for me about whether Tiger could do it disappeared on the final day at Carnoustie, when he held the lead going into the back nine. Woods ended up in a tie for sixth, but that would have hurt. He realised he was good enough to win another Major. Like any great player, he learned from his mistakes and took that with him to the US PGA, where his golf was superb. Except for the brilliance of Brooks Koepka in the final round, Tiger would have claimed Major No.15. With the Majors all squeezed into a three-month period next year, starting at The Masters in April, if he hits form at the right time, there is no reason why he can’t end that long wait. The burning question when Tiger announced he was coming back was to see if he could compete against the younger stars. That is exactly what has happened in the last two Majors and the excitement has been off the scale, both around the course and for those watching on TV. I don’t think there is a single player in the locker-room who now doesn’t expect Tiger to win another Major. When his name went to the top of the leaderboard at Carnoustie, it sent shockwaves around the galleries and the rest of the field. Jordan Spieth was refreshingly honest when he admitted he couldn’t help but look at the scoreboards to see what Tiger was doing. Make no mistake, Spieth won’t have been the only one. Tiger is relying on a pick from Jim Furyk for the Ryder Cup, but that is guaranteed. Woods finished 11th on their qualifying list, after giving everyone else a year’s head start. The Ryder Cup has never felt like Tiger’s natural environment. But it will be different in Paris. Being out of action and then being part of Davis Love’s backroom team at Hazeltine has given him a new perspective. He has seen up close how they have fostered a new spirit. In his seven previous appearances, Woods has seemed aloof and not a team player. He has practised at different times and partners like Mark O’Meara and Steve Stricker have been chosen as friends, rather than because of their golf games. If anything, Tiger was more of an intimidating presence for his own team-mates than for the opposing European players! I don’t see that this time. I think he will be comfortable with most of America’s likely line-up. Tiger will give Captain Furyk a range of options and he’ll play as often or as little as he wants. Just imagine him partnered with Masters Champion Patrick Reed or Dustin Johnson. That is enough to whet the appetite.