Tiger Woods is one of the greatest to ever play the game of golf, and it his competitive streak to not settle for anything but a win that has stood him apart from the rest of the field for the past 15 years or so. So, the fact that the great man does not have a good record in the Ryder Cup might be a bit surprising.
Woods only has a 13-14-2 record -- four and a half out of six in singles -- with the American team's only Ryder Cup victory coming way back in 1999 in Brookline. Europe have won four of the last five Ryder Cups, and the 14-time Major winner knows the responsibility of getting his team much-needed wins lies at his door.
"Well, certainly I am responsible for that, because I didn't earn the points that I was put out there for," he said. "I believe I was out there, what, in five sessions each time, and I didn't go 5-0 on our side.
"So I certainly am a part of that and that's part of being a team. I needed to go get my points for my team and I didn't do that. Hopefully I can do that this week, and hopefully the other guys can do the same and we can get this thing rolling."
Woods, who along with Jim Furyk and Phil Mickelson have qualified for every Ryder Cup since 1997, admitted he and the other veterans need to do better if they are to wrest the Ryder Cup back from Europe.
"In order to win Cups, you have to earn points, and we certainly have not earned points," Woods told reporters. "On top of that, I think, Phil, Jim and myself have been put out there a lot, so if we are not winning points, it's hard to win Ryder Cups that way."
"We have certainly had our experiences and we can help out a lot of the guys who haven't been there before."
The U.S. team will have Michael Jordan as a motivator this year, and Woods admitted to enjoying a good relationship with the basketball legend. "Michael, being who he has been in the sport, and what he's done, for him to be a part of this is special for us," Woods said. "This is one of the greatest athletes to ever live, and you know, he wants to be a part of golf and share with us what he's been through. For us, that's incredible.
"I think it's hilarious to see him riding around in the back of a cart, because you don't see guys who are 6ft 6in out here very often. I consider him like my big brother (and have) gotten to know him so well over the years.
"I may take that for granted. But some of the other guys who don't really know Michael, I think it's a real treat for them."
