St Louis: The announcement by US Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk came six months ago, and it was hardly blockbuster news.
To no one’s surprise, Furyk tabbed Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker as his vice-captains for September’s match against the European side next month in Paris.
The jobs are not ceremonial. The vice-captains serve as team strategists, confidants and motivators. Even without being able to play two years ago due to his back problems, Woods was said to be an inspirational force in the US team room in the Americans’ 17-11 victory at Hazeltine.
At the time of Furyk’s choices in February, it looked as if Woods would be resigned to a similar role this time — golf-cart bound, a walkie-talkie replacing a club in his hand.
Not anymore.
Barring an injury in the next month, Woods will be standing shoulder to shoulder with his teammates when they play the national anthem during the opening ceremonies at Le Golf National.
It’s not official, and Furyk would not provide many hints about his four captain’s picks when he held a news conference at Bellerive Country Club. But after Woods finished second to Brooks Koepka in the PGA Championship on Sunday, his inclusion will be the easiest decision Furyk has to make.
Furyk, who played through the weekend in the PGA, was as engrossed as anyone else in watching the Sunday drama unfold. Woods made eight birdies and shot 64, but never caught up with Koepka, who won his third major championship in 15 months.
“You know, I was a little bummed and disappointed,” Furyk deadpanned. “I really wanted to see kind of how Tiger was playing, and I only got to see — I don’t know — like every shot he hit the rest of the day.
“It was great theatre, really.”
The Ryder Cup doesn’t need Woods to make it one of the world’s most anticipated golf events. But Woods’ presence as a competitor takes it into the stratosphere, and, remember, this is a business enterprise for the PGA of America. The biennial team competition is a bigger revenue driver than the PGA Championship.
The PGA has even begun to draw out the team selection process to lengthen the build-up. It used to be that the entire 12-man team was named on the day following the PGA Championship.
This time, eight automatic bids were determined on Sunday, with three more captain’s picks announced September 4, after the Dell Technologies Championship — the second tournament of the playoffs. The final choice — drum roll — comes September 10 following the BMW Championship.
Furyk was in a position of having to quash much wild-card talk to focus on those who have made the team. He couldn’t escape answering queries about Woods, of course.
It was noted for the captain that Woods vaulted himself from 20th in the US Ryder Cup standings to 11th — three spots away from an automatic berth.
“I’m not sure the numbers are always that important when I look down the list,” Furyk said. “What is important is how well Tiger has played. Sixth place at the [British] Open championship, a second place in the PGA. His game — I think the word he used is ‘trending.’ His game is trending. So it’s great to see him playing well.”
