One of the most intriguing records of Tiger Woods’ career comes from his time in the Ryder Cup, with the 15-time major champion losing 21 of his 37 matches in the event.
It is amazing to think that Tiger Woods has only won one Ryder Cup as a player throughout his entire career – that coming in 1999 at Brookline. His Presidents Cup record is outrageously good, while, of course, Woods is perhaps the greatest player to have ever played the game.
It was said for some time that Woods could not adapt to the team format particularly successfully – which is certainly backed up by his more impressive singles record. Woods won five points from his eight singles matches.
Obviously, it would have been tough to play alongside Woods for many of his peers. It was only when he started playing with Steve Stricker that he started to appear particularly settled. And that partnership certainly had its ups and downs.
The change Phil Mickelson noticed in Tiger Woods in team competitions
Of course, one player he almost never played alongside was Phil Mickelson. Woods and Mickelson had a torrid time at the 2004 Ryder Cup, with Hal Sutton putting them together for the opening two sessions. That would prove to be the only time they would play together in Ryder Cup history.
But the pair would take on leadership roles in the wake of the 2014 Ryder Cup. The task force played an important part in 2016’s win, with Woods – somewhat surprisingly – becoming a vice-captain at Hazeltine.
He would also captain the Presidents Cup team to victory in 2019. And speaking to 5 Clubs ahead of the 2021 Ryder Cup where Mickelson was a vice-captain, the six-time major champion was asked to explain if Woods’ outlook at team events had changed over the years.
“I think so. I think that he’s really let down his guard where he would not want to share a lot of himself to the team in the past for fear for letting down some of that intimidation factor that he might have,” he said.
“And now, he’s much more engaging and helpful with the guys. And when he speaks everybody is going to listen because he’s the greatest who’s ever played. So the opportunity to hear things he has to say is very insightful for everyone, and so, an ability to engage and connect with the players has been a big factor of having the guys succeed.”
Tiger Woods now preparing for TGL debut with Jupiter Links
Of course, team competition is going to play a big role in Woods’ 2025 season. He only managed to play in a handful of events in 2024, but this year sees TGL make its long-awaited debut.
Woods’ Jupiter Links side make their bow in the competition on Tuesday, taking on Los Angeles. Woods will line up alongside Max Homa and Kevin Kisner to take on Sahith Theegala, Justin Rose and Collin Morikawa.
While Woods, Homa and Kisner had 2024 seasons to forget, Jupiter should certainly be the team to watch out for. They could definitely be the most entertaining across the weeks. And they may embrace the format better than any other side.
Had TGL come along shortly after the turn of the century, it is hard to imagine Woods having any interest at all with his focus solely on building his legacy in the majors.
But as Mickelson noted in 2021, Woods’ view on team formats has changed quite dramatically.
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