Reflection must wait; Tiger Woods focused on beating Euros

GUYANCOURT, France – Since winning the TOUR Championship on Sunday, Tiger Woods has been a little busy. The usual obligations that come with winning a PGA TOUR event were heightened by the hysteria following his first victory in five seasons. Then he met up with his American teammates before they jumped on a plane for Paris. Rest, training, more team camaraderie, then a Tuesday morning practice round to get acquainted with this week’s Ryder Cup venue. Oh, and there were also the congratulatory text messages. Lots of them. He’s trying to respond but more than 150 remain on his phone. So, no, he hasn’t had time to assess the fallout from his victory at East Lake, including the Sunday TV ratings. “Are they good?â€� Tiger asked Tuesday. Uh, yes, Tiger. They’re good. The NBC Sports Group reported that Sunday’s telecast was the highest-rated in the history of the FedExCup Playoffs and the highest-rated on TOUR in 2018 (majors excluded). “An unforgettable event in golf,â€� said Mike McCarley, the network’s president of golf. Tiger, though, simply hasn’t had time to process unforgettable. Less than 48 hours after completing a year-long comeback from career-threatening back surgeries, Woods has turned his attention to beating the Europeans on their home turf for the first time in 25 years. Not until next week will he have a chance to reflect on the improbable climb back into the winner’s circle. “I saw a couple of [videos] on some French news channel [of] the people rushing behind me, but I haven’t sat down and watched it yet,â€� Woods said. “I still have this event to do. “Post-Ryder Cup, it will be a different story. I will look back and soak it up and really reflect on what really transpired that entire week.â€� Tiger’s prep work began in earnest on Tuesday as part of a practice foursome with Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed. Woods and DeChambeau have publicly spoke about a partnership once play begins on Friday, but neither they, nor U.S. Captain Jim Furyk, would confirm any such plans. “It would be awesome to play with him,â€� said DeChambeau, playing in his first U.S. team event since the 2015 Walker Cup. “Is it going to happen? We’re still working on it. We’re still trying to figure out who is going to best fit with each other – not me personally but for everyone that’s going out that day.â€� Even Mickelson was asked how he would respond should Furyk lean toward putting together his two most decorated veterans. “I think we would both welcome it,â€� he said. And does he think it will happen? “I do have an idea of what Captain Furyk is thinking,â€� Mickelson said, ending his response there. While there could be competition to partner with Woods this week, his track record at the Ryder Cup is not exactly up to his standards. He has a career 13-17-3 mark in seven previous appearances, and is 4-8-1 in Foursomes, which will be played in the two afternoon sessions on Friday and Saturday. Plus, he’s only played on one winning U.S. team – 19 years ago when the Americans rallied to win at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Woods did not play in 2008 due to reconstructive knee surgery that summer, and two years ago at Hazeltine, he was sidelined with the back issues but was part of the team as a vice-captain. “We haven’t done well,â€� Woods said. “… My overall Ryder Cup record, not having won as a player since 1999, is something that hopefully we can change.â€� Four years ago after the most recent U.S. road loss – at Gleneagles in Scotland – Woods and Mickelson were part of a Ryder Cup task force that set out to change the losing culture. Not only did their efforts pay off two years ago, it also helped bring the two together. Woods was also an assistant captain for the winning U.S. team that included Mickelson a year ago at the Presidents Cup. “Those team events where we’ve worked together, I think, we realized that we both have a lot more in common than we thought,â€� Mickelson said, “and I think that we both have really come to appreciate working together to achieve things. I’ve really enjoyed my time with him. Their friendship seemed to publicly accelerate this year with a practice round at the Masters, a pairing for the first two rounds of THE PLAYERS Championship, and then the recent announcement of a Thanksgiving weekend match-play showdown in Las Vegas. Whether that translates into a revived partnership this week is another matter. Fourteen years ago, U.S. captain Hal Sutton sent out the Woods-Mickelson duo in the first Four-ball match at Oakland Hills. They fell behind early and lost to Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington. They then lost the afternoon Foursomes to Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood, thus ending the experiment. Why would it be different this time, Mickelson was asked. “I’d say we would be more prepared, most likely, would be the general answer,â€� he responded. “But if I … try to share an insight as to why things went well or didn’t went well, it always come across as I’m taking a shot at somebody, and I don’t want to do that anymore.â€� Laughs ensued – although nobody was laughing four years ago when a frustrated Mickelson spoke his mind after the latest U.S. loss in Europe. Of course, a Woods-Mickelson pairing – while still unlikely at this point — might be pretty good for TV ratings this week. Even Tiger would know that.

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