U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson says Tiger Woods will be ‘part of this team in some capacity’

U.S. Presidents Cup captain Davis Love III said at last month’s matches that even though Tiger Woods wasn’t at Quail Hollow Club, he was still heavily involved in the team and strategy. Woods will likely wield similar influence at next year’s Ryder Cup, whether he’s able to travel to Italy or not.

At a press conference in Rome on Tuesday, U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson was asked how Woods will fit into his team.

“Given who he is and what he’s all about, I can’t tell you right now: I don’t know if he will be here next year, but he will be a part of this team in some capacity,” Johnson said. “He already is, frankly. I can’t put this mildly: He loves the Ryder Cup. He has made it a priority. He wants to be a part of it as best he can. He’s gone through some things as of late that make it difficult, whether it’s travel or what-have-you.”

Woods continues to recover from a car crash in early 2021 that required multiple surgeries and he’s played just three events this year – the Masters, Open Championship and PGA Championship, where he withdrew after the third round.

Love said he and Woods spoke throughout the week at the Presidents Cup and it was a similar relationship with last year’s U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker at Whistling Straits.

“He and I will be in constant communication,” Johnson said. “I will welcome that. He has great ideas. Has great encouragement. He’s always positive, and you know, the beauty of where we are as Team USA is we have got some really great youth that are participating now at a high level.”