SKIPPER TOM WATSON SPARED HAVING TO MAKE DECISION
TIGER WOODS RULES HIMSELF OUT
OF US RYDER CUP LINE-UP
FROM THE BBC WEBSITEBy IAIN CARTER
Tiger Woods has done the American Ryder Cup team a big favour by
withdrawing from September's match at Gleneagles
.
Skipper Tom Watson has been spared a difficult
decision, one that could easily have undermined the US effort to regain
the trophy.
The uncertainty over whether Woods would receive a wild card was already starting to have a corrosive effect on the captain's authority.
Watson's position on Woods had been shifting with each setback during the 14-time major champion's now aborted return from back surgery.
The nine automatic qualifiers for 12-man US Ryder Cup team are: |
---|
Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Jimmy Walker, Matt Kuchar, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Zach Johnson and Phil Mickelson. |
The media event was supposed to provide an opportunity to discuss the players who are in the US team, not one who might or might not be.
Watson appeared indecisive as he told reporters that he would, effectively, leave the decision up to Woods. It also suggested he was prepared to give special treatment to a special player.
"He is Tiger Woods and he brings a lot to the team," Watson said. "If he has the ability to play and he's healthy, I'd be a fool not to consider him."
The worst case scenario would have been for Woods to let the situation linger. Watson would have been left in a no-win situation heading towards the wild card announcement on September 2.
On one hand he would have been weighing up whether to risk picking a player with serious fitness issues, while on the other he would question how he could leave out the greatest golfer of the modern era.
"It was a big decision for him to place a call to Tom and take himself out of consideration," Woods agent, Mark Steinberg, was quoted by ESPN.com.
"Often times people have questioned Tiger's commitment to the Ryder Cup, to team events. Nobody should question his integrity when it comes to playing for his country. I think this says a lot about his feelings toward the event and team competition."
Woods can concentrate on the pressing need to make a full recovery. He came back too soon when he returned to action in June following his 31 March back operation.
According to his website he is targeting his return for his own World Challenge tournament in December. This means foregoing lucrative exhibition events he was scheduled to play in Argentina and Asia.
Woods' bank balance will hardly miss those appearance cheques, but what the 38 year-old cannot afford is to rush another comeback and compromise his fitness.
It is a shame for the Ryder Cup that the game's biggest name will be absent but the compelling nature of these contests should ensure that he will not be missed.
US fans should not be too downhearted either. Woods has only been on one winning Ryder Cup team in seven appearances.
It is entirely sensible to take himself out of the firing line. He can sit back and watch the match from home.
And bear in mind that the last time he did that, in 2008, America claimed their most recent victory.
Labels: RYDER CUP
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