U.S. Ryder Cup captain explains Tiger’s role from afar

GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy – Tiger Woods didn’t make the trip to Rome for this week’s Ryder Cup, but his impact on the team and how players treat the week is unmistakable.

Woods was a member of the task force that overhauled the U.S. Ryder Cup process following the 2014 matches and he’s remained engaged with Team USA even as his ability to compete has been limited by injury.

“He’s always in the inner-circle, and at this point it’s more encouragement on his side, whether he’s texting the guys or texting the vice captains and captains, he’s there to encourage because he’s very invested in what we do year-in and year-out with Team USA, and that has never ceased and I’m grateful for that,” U.S. captain Zach Johnson said Monday at Marco Simone. “He’s the best player of our generation. Thankfully he’s an American. We are going to utilize his knowledge and his wisdom and his candor and his passion the best we can.”

Woods served as a vice captain at the 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris and was captain of the U.S. Presidents Cup team in 2019. He’s also become a sounding board for captains in recent years offering advice on everything from captain’s picks to course set-up. But his official role with this year’s team was limited by ankle surgery in April that allowed him to just two starts.

“As far as conferring with him, communicating with him, I mean, we have up to this point, and he understands that now that our feet are on the ground, it’s probably kind of best that we navigate this ourselves,” Johnson said. “When it comes to the week of the tournament, if you’re not in on it and inside the team room, inside the ropes, shoulder-to-shoulder with these guys, it’s not fair to ask him questions. He can give us insights, don’t get me wrong. At the same time, I don’t know if that’s proper and I think he would understand completely.”