As if they’re going to have a Ryder Cup without Tiger Woods. Golf legend Jack Nicklaus is quoted in the USA Today this morning saying “if Tiger wants to play, I would certainly choose him.” Jack is known as a pretty enterprising guy–he built an empire in product endorsement and golf course design that thrived long after he won the last of his record 18 major championships. But you could ask a third grader whether it’s a good idea to have Tiger Woods on the team and you’d get the same insight as Nicklaus offers. Yes, it’s a good idea. Especially if you want people to watch.
Sure Tiger Woods hasn’t played very well or very often this year–he’s had yet another surgery and last week’s comeback at the British Open didn’t find him in top form. But the Ryder Cup isn’t some old gentleman’s wager like it used to be–it’s an international television event of major proportions. That is, if Tiger Woods plays it is. Otherwise, the Ryder Cup ratings will look more like a World Cup qualifier between Guatemala and Canada. (That’s soccer, BTW.) Fellow legend Tom Watson is the Ryder Cup captain this year and he gets two picks to fill out a team that is otherwise automatically selected through performance rankings. Tom Watson is believed to be smarter than most third graders. Expect Woods to be on the team.
