Tom Watson wants Tiger Woods in his Ryder Cup team
Tom Watson, the newly appointed US Ryder Cup team captain, has expressed his wish to have the 14-time major champion Tiger Woods on his squad, when the tournament kicks off in September, 2014.
Watson’s wish may seem strange to many golf followers, as the veteran has the history of criticizing Woods for his on-course behaviour. In addition to that, he also had plenty to talk about after the dissolution of Woods’ marriage in 2009.
However, Watson has insisted that he is now having a fine relationship with the former world number one and is eager to work with him, when the US team will try to bring back the prestigious trophy to the United States.
In the immediate aftermath of the announcement of Watson being the next US captain, Woods also commented in support of the 70-time professional winner.
According to Woods, Watson was the perfect choice to lead the US team in the 2014 edition of the biennial event. In the meantime, he also expressed his wish of becoming a part of Watson’s team.
Watson has now issued a statement in which he has said that Woods will be his first choice, if, for any reason, the 74-time PGA Tour winner fails to make it into the team through automatic qualifiers.
“I hope Tiger is on my team,” he said. “He's the best player maybe in the history of the game. He brings a stature to the team that is unlike any other player on the team”.
He added, “And if he's not on the team for any unforeseen reason - and I'm sure he will be - you can bet that he's going to be number one on my pick list. My relationship with Tiger is fine. Whatever has been said before is water under the bridge, no issue”.
In 2014, Watson will become the seventh American to lead the US team in the Ryder Cup for more than once.
The legendary Jack Nicklaus recently said that Watson was the best choice for the position of the Ryder Cup team captain, as he was the last man who led the US team to victory on foreign soil, at The Belfry in 1993.
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