CNN
—
Tiger Woods may very well be a part of the US Ryder Cup staff, or not less than Zach Johnson is not ruling it out.
Forward of the Sony Open in Hawaii, US captain Johnson mentioned he wouldn’t low cost Woods’ choice to compete within the event if the 47-year-old didn’t qualify for the staff routinely.
“I’d solely ponder having him on the staff if he felt, if he was placing up some numbers and a few scores, No. 1, the place he is exhibiting some signal of being aggressive,” Johnson mentioned at a information convention Wednesday.
“After which No. 2, that dialogue could be with the opposite guys on that staff, and particularly with him. If there’s one factor I belief about Tiger Woods, it is that he is very invested on this staff and the longer term Cups. Extraordinarily invested. No I can speak about that sufficient,” Johnson added.
“After which I feel you’d do something to make the staff higher. I assume he would say … I do not prefer to base assumptions … however I belief he would say, ‘Yeah, I can play, or no, I can not.'”
Final yr, Johnson confirmed Woods could be a part of the U.S. Ryder Cup “in some kind,” including that Woods had made it a “precedence.”
“Given who he’s and what he is about, I can not inform you proper now — I do not know if he’ll be right here subsequent yr, however he’ll be part of this staff in some methods,” Johnson mentioned.
Nevertheless, Woods’ well being might complicate that, Johnson admitted.
“He is been by way of some issues currently that make it tough, whether or not it is journey or what he is obtained,” the U.S. Ryder Cup captain mentioned.
The damage has hampered Woods’ latest profession, his taking part in time decimated since he suffered critical leg accidents in a automotive accident in February 2021.
The 47-year-old pulled out of the Hero World Problem in December citing foot ache, and gave the impression to be battling motion at numerous instances in the course of the seventh version of The Match that month.
“I feel one thing that is life like is to play the tour someday, by no means full-time, by no means once more, however choose and select, similar to Mr. (Ben) Hogan did,” Woods advised Golf Digest afterward. his accident in 2021.
“You choose a number of occasions a yr and also you mess around it. You follow round it and put together for it. And also you play. I feel that is how I’ll play any further.
“It’s an unlucky actuality, however it’s my actuality. And I perceive that and I settle for that.”
The Ryder Cup, a biennial competitors that alternates between Europe and the US. Rome
The US staff regained the Ryder Cup in 2021 after a traditionally dominant efficiency over Europe at Whistling Straits.