Tiger Woods, Officially, Will Not Attend the Ryder Cup (But You Can Call Him!)

No matter the decision, Tiger Woods was going to land criticism, so he just decided to avoid the Ryder Cup altogether, making it official today on his website.

Some thought it might be good for Woods to show up for the American team while others thought it might be a distraction. Tiger said he will be watching the matches but isn't going to make the trip to Kentucky.

"I plan to watch the Ryder Cup this week, but I will not attend. U.S. captain Paul Azinger has my cell phone number, and he or any U.S. player can call me any time." he said. "If I can offer any assistance, I'm happy to help.

"I doubt I can do much, since I can't play practice rounds and am not privy to their team chemistry. I also don't know who is playing well, who is injured, and have no feel for how the course is playing. But I'll be happy to offer my opinion. I wish the American team well and hope they can bring back the Cup."

This is the right decision. There is no reason for Tiger to show up and put any more pressure on this poor American team. We spend enough time talking about Woods when he isn't even part of the story because he's still the headliner in golf, but this is one event we don't need him around in. This is about new players having a chance to do something for their country and while we'd all love to have Tiger playing for the U.S. squad, it isn't going to happen.

Greg Norman had a similar situation like this in 1994, where he was sidelined for the Presidents Cup due to illness but still showed up to support the International team. It didn't really seem to matter as the International squad got trounced by the Americans 20-12.
Also, just for a quick gear change, Woods talked about his good buddy Roger Federer and their race for the most major tournament titles.

"[Roger] now has 13 Grand Slam titles and is one way from the record held by Pete Sampras," Woods said. "He's closer than I am to the record; I have 14 titles and Jack Nicklaus has 18. But I might be playing competitively a little longer than him."

I agree with you Tiger, as long as that pesky knee can hold up.

It will be a strange moment this weekend when I'm laying on the couch watching the Ryder Cup, realizing that Tiger is doing the exact same thing as I am. Well, his television is probably bigger but you know what I mean.