23 September 2023 , 22:28
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Team USA captain Zach Johnson revealed golf legend Tiger Woods is set to help assist the team from afar at the Ryder Cup next week - and he couldn't be anymore passionate.
The 47-year-old will not be playing at at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club near Rome, where the 2023 Ryder Cup will be contested. While Woods is not an official member of the team or a vice captain, he will still offer his wisdom.
The 15-time major champion has appeared in eight editions of the biennial tournament, with his last appearance at the tournament coming in 2018. Woods boasts an all-time record of 13-21-3, and while he won’t be involved in Italy, he will be providing advice for the 12-man American team set to take on the Europeans.
Johnson insisted Woods will be on call for his wise counsel should Team USA require his expertise. He said: “He is a great resource. He's very invested in Team USA, very invested in how we navigate year in and year out Team USA because the guy is patriotic, he wants to win, he's got experience and, shocker, he's the best player in whatever decades. Thankfully, he's an American. He is red white and blue, through and through.
“Personally speaking, I could show you the text messages he and I have had … a lot of them are so great in support and belief and faith. I got to tag along with him as a vice captain in his captainship in Australia, and the man knows what he is talking about … he's amazing, and he will continue to be a part of Team USA going forward. He will not be in Rome, which is fine, it's probably not wise, it was more or less his decision, but he's great counsel.”
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Woods has already performed leadership duties, having been an assistant captain at Hazeltine in 2016. However, he played no part in USA's 19-9 crushing of Europe at the 2021 Ryder Cup in Whistling Strait - but the icon reportedly sent text messages to his fellow countrymen to encourage them to the dominant win.
Woods showcased his cut-throat mentality two yeqas ago when USA were already overwhelming Europe. When the team held a significant 11-5 lead over Europe heading into Sunday singles, Woods texted captain Steve Stricker: “Now step on their necks.”
Tiger Woods has only secured one Ryder Cup win in his illustrious career (Getty Images)Woods has official leadership experience under his belt. He helped USA secure a 16-14 victory at the 2019 Presidents Cup, picking himself as he starred at Royal Melbourne as the only American to not record a loss. He could be ready to step into a Ruder Cup captaincy role as soon as 2025, although Phil Mickelson has reportedly been picked by officials to lead Team USA at Bethpage Black.
Last month, US Ryder Cup team captain Johnson named his six wildcards as Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns and Brooks Koepka. They joined automatic participants World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Open champion Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and Xander Schauffele to form Team USA. Woods will undoubtedly provide incredible counsel for the team as they seek to defend the Ryder Cup.
Meanwhile, Europe captain Luke Donald will lead Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Nicolai Hojgaard, Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose and Sepp Straka to attempt to reclaim the iconic trophy after the embarassment of 2021. Despite fielding its youngest team in history, Team USA crushed their opposition, inflicting a record 19-9 defeat on Europe.
The 2023 Ryder Cup is set to be contested from Friday 29 September to Sunday 1 October at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club near Rome.