No one thought Tiger Woods would have been ready to play the Masters, much less make the cut and walk 72 holes at Augusta National, just 14 months after a horrific car crash.
And no one should rule him out playing in the Presidents Cup in September.
Davis Love III, the captain of the 2022 squad that’ll gather in Charlotte at Quail Hollow Club to take on the Internationals, says whatever happens, Woods has an open invitation to take on any role he wants for the U.S. team.
“We had to pry him off the couch a little bit last winter and spring to get involved in the Ryder Cup and then once we got him going, he was very engaged and loved it,” Love said ahead of the 2022 RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina. “Obviously it’s been a long year and a half for him, so that’s one thing that Fred [Couples] and Zach [Johnson] and I need to do is get him in the loop and say, ‘All right, what do you want to do?’”
Couples and Johnson were named vice captains by Love on Wednesday for the Presidents Cup. Love did indicate that there is one job he won’t cede to Woods.
“I mean, if he says, ‘You’re not captain anymore, I’m going to be the captain’, we’ll probably have to talk about that one,” Love quipped. “But anything else, if he wants to be co-captain or assistant captain or player. … whatever he wants to do.”
Playing Captain Tiger Woods of the United States team and Justin Thomas of the United States team celebrate their match win at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Course on December 13, 2019, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
Woods was a player captain in 2019, leading the U.S. squad to a 16-14 win in Australia. Love said Woods playing for the 2022 squad shouldn’t be unexpected.
“I didn’t think he would ever play again and he proved us wrong. And then I didn’t think he could walk 72 holes at Augusta, because that’s one of our hardest walks, and then he proved us wrong again.
“I’ve seen and talked to him a lot over the last year and a half and I know what he was working towards, but, you know, he’s unbelievable at overcoming whatever happens to him, whatever, whether it’s his swing or his putting or his body, he just can will his way towards his goals.
“Now, can he do it? I’ll just say no, he’s not going to play enough golf and he won’t be able to do it, so then he’ll do it.”
English
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Spanish