USA TODAY International Edition
Tiger prepared to put bad Ryder Cup rap to rest
SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – Six years have passed, yet the memory still irks Tiger Woods. In 2012, the last time Woods played in the Ryder Cup, the Americans squandered the largest lead ever held by a team playing on home soil, a 10-6 advantage on the last day that quickly dissolved into a devastating defeat at Medinah Country Club north of Chicago. Woods was playing in the final singles match and was standing in the 18th fairway when Martin Kaymer clinched Europe’s custody of the Cup. “It was tough watching them celebrate when I thought we should have won that one,” Woods said. “It’s a tough situation. It’s tough as a team, it’s tough for our captain, it’s tough for everyone involved not to have won the Cup because that’s the ultimate goal.” Woods has had a lot of tough times listening to celebrations at the Ryder Cup. He’s been on only one winning team. That was in 1999, when the Americans stormed back from a 10-6 deficit. He’s been on the losing side in 1997, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2012. “Looking back on my entire Ryder Cup career, that’s not something that I have really enjoyed or liked seeing,” Woods said. “My overall Ryder Cup record, not having won as a player since 1999, is something that hopefully we can change. We haven’t won as a U.S. squad here in 25 years on foreign soil, so hopefully that will change this week, as well.” He’s in form to help the U.S. do just that. Woods couldn’t feel any better than he does ahead of the 42nd playing of the Ryder Cup beginning Friday at Le Golf National southwest of Paris. He’s coming off one of his most cherished victories — his 80th PGA Tour title and first since 2013 coming in last weekend’s Tour Championship — a remarkable achievement following spinal fusion surgery 18 months ago. His game is dialed in, with five top-6 finishes in his last eight starts, a stretch that has moved him to No. 13 in the world rankings. And he’s again playing in the biennial match-play battle between the U.S. and Europe, instead of being a vice captain as he was in 2016, or recovering from injury, as he was in ’08 after knee surgery. “I missed playing in it, missed competing in it,” said Woods, one of four captain’s picks. “I missed that rush of going out there and trying to get a point for my team. I’ve been a part of these teams now for the better part of 20 years, and to have earned the confidence in my teammates and my captain to have been selected is something that gives me a lot of excitement.” But over the years, Woods’ commitment to the Ryder Cup has come into question, with critics pointing to his 1317-3 overall record (4-1-2 in singles) as proof of his lack of passion for the event. “Tiger gets a bad rap when it comes to the Ryder Cup. Well, that’s a bunch of crap,” Butch Harmon, who once coached Woods, said on Hank Haney’s SiriusXM PGA Tour radio show. “Tiger Woods wants to win. He’s always been a team player. The guy that got paired with Tiger in the old days had a lot of pressure on them because they were used to Tiger beating their brains out every week in tournaments. And they tried too hard. “These young kids on the team now, they idolize Tiger Woods. They love playing with Tiger Woods.” For the record, Woods is 9-16-1 playing with partners. He has been paired with 12 players and holds a winning record with only two — Davis Love III and Chris Riley. Woods didn’t win a match with six of the players, Mickelson, David Duval and Paul Azinger among them. This week he’s likely to add to that partner list seeing as he’s played with one current teammate — Mickelson. And the rest of the 10 players wouldn’t mind going to the first tee with Woods. Then again, he might be paired with Mickelson. The two were grouped with Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed when practice rounds began Tuesday, fueling speculation that Woods and Mickelson could play together again. The only time they were paired was the ill-fated partnership in 2004 at Oakland Hills when they lost both matches on the first day. Mickelson said he and Woods would welcome another go as partners. “This is the best I think I’ve ever seen him swing the club, even going back to 2000, when I thought he was at his best,” Mickelson said. “He’s striking it so solidly that nobody was surprised that has played with him that he won, and I think that now that that first win is out of the way, I think he’s going to start rattling off some more.” Woods has said the past few weeks he’d play with anyone. He just wants to play. It was one of his goals at the start of the year. During a practice round last week at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, he said earning his way onto the team as a captain’s pick was one of his proudest accomplishments. “I wanted to play, really wanted to play,” Woods said. “It’s been too long not being able to play. It hurt not being able to play. I need to put another ‘W’ on my Ryder Cup resume, and I can’t wait to play in it again.” The wait ends Friday.