Woods’ text message inspires U.S. players
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — Tiger Woods isn’t at Whistling Straits, but several U.S. players say he helped inspire them to a big lead in the first day of the Ryder Cup.
Woods sent a group text through captain Steve Stricker to American players, saying he was behind them in their battle to regain the cup.
“The gist of basically what he said was I’m cheering you guys on, I’m right there with you and go fight and make us proud,” Tony Finau said. “We were able to do that and if TW’s watching, thanks for that text, brother, I think it helps us a lot.”
Several players talked about the text from Woods, who is recovering from serious injuries in a February car accident. The U.S. went 6-2 on the opening day for its biggest first day margin since 1975.
“Tiger’s not with us in person but I know he’s watching and talking to Stricker a lot,” Harris English said. “We know he’s got our backs, so that’s really cool and we kind of used that energy today.”
Xander Schauffele said the players were excited to hear that Woods was cheering hard for them from his home in Florida.
“We knew he was fist pumping from the couch,” Schauffele said. “Whether he was on crutches or not he’s as fired up as any back at home. So it’s nice
to have his support.”
Stricker said he got the text Thursday and sent it out to the team on Friday. He said Woods wished players good luck and shared a few personal observations.
“He’s a friend of a lot of these guys and these guys look up to him and I lean on him a lot throughout this whole process,” Stricker said. “So it was great to hear from him and provide some words of encouragement to these guys.”
Woods was an assistant captain in 2016, when the U.S. last won the cup. He
returned as a player in 2018, but did not win a point in his matches. In eight Ryder Cups, Woods earned 14.5 points but had an overall losing record and only played on one winning team — the 1999 team that won in a huge final day comeback at Brookline.
Spieth’s amazing shot for naught
It didn’t take long for Whistling Straits to produce a signature shot in the Ryder Cup.
Unfortunately for Jordan Spieth and Justin
Thomas, it didn’t help them in a 3-up loss to Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia.
Two holes down with two to play, Thomas hit his tee shot on the par-3 17th hole to the right of the green, only to watch as it bounced left and shot across the green and down a nearly vertical slope toward Lake Michigan.
The ball ended up lodged in deep rough on a ridge about 10 feet high. Spieth studied it a long time before pulling out a wedge and taking a wild swing at the ball, which somehow plopped onto the green about five feet from the hole.
The momentum from Spieth’s swing sent him falling backward down the slope, and he nearly ran backward as he tried to steady himself before going too far and ending up in the lake.
“I don’t think I exaggerated that fall,” Spieth said. “Once I started moving I had to keep moving until I found a flat spot.”
Thomas would miss the putt and the Europeans would win the match 3-up. But the video of Spieth’s shot will surely live on at least through the weekend.
DeChambeau plunks spectator
Bryson DeChambeau hits his drives a mile, but they do come down eventually.
One Ryder Cup spectator learned that the hard way Friday when DeChambeau’s opening drive flew 330 yards and plunked her lower leg.
“I didn’t see it coming,” said the Indianapolis woman, who identified herself only as Jane. “Came down right on top of my foot.”
Perched just above a bunker to the far left of the fairway, the woman said she felt fine but that the ball was coming in hot, so it likely would have been buried deep in the tall grass had it not struck her.
“He signed a golf ball and gave it to me,” she said. “He was very nice.”