Tiger Woods Ryder Cup 2012: Why Match Play Will Benefit Tiger's Game

In the 2012 Ryder Cup, Tiger Woods will no longer be pressured by the weight of a thousand golf clubs. Being able to rely on Steve Stricker in match play should unleash the Tiger that the world has been waiting for.

Contrary to Woods' Ryder Cup history, he and Stricker have been quite a pair in international play thus far. The two have gone 6-2 since being paired for the first time in 2009. That was the Presidents Cup, where Woods and Stricker went 4-0 in foursome events.

The two are not only excited to be paired together, they'll be happy to take their talents to Medinah Country Club.

The course is practically in Stricker's backyard, as he's from a nearby city in Wisconsin. Woods, on the other hand, has won two PGA Championships at Medinah.

Talk about a home-field advantage.

Woods has been playing fantastic golf in 2012, despite adding no majors to his resume. He's had nine top-10 finishes this year, including in his last three tournaments. Let's not forget the three tournaments he won this year, either.

Those numbers would be exceptional for most golfers. Not for Tiger Woods, though. It's a shame, but because of his earlier greatness, we expect more.

Critics will cite his Ryder Cup history as a deterrent for Woods' Ryder Cup hopes this year, and rightfully so. Ever since he played in his first tournament in 1997, Team USA usually goes as Tiger goes; and the numbers haven't been good.

He's 1-5 in his last six Ryder Cups, along with a match-play record of 11-13-1. He knows all of this (via USA Today):

"

Certainly, I am responsible for that because I didn't earn the points that I was put out there for. 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.

"

But that was Tiger Woods: supposed Team USA savior. While expectations are still hopeful, Woods will no longer be considered the catalyst for the American team.

Former golf No. 1's and recent major winners frequent this American team. Phil Mickelson has been even worse than Tiger in Ryder Cups (11-17-6), yet he'll be expected to earn four points. Ditto for Stricker, Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson.

That's why Team USA looks to have their best Ryder Cup chance in years at Medinah. If they do pull it off, his teammates will have played like champions.

But Tiger, above all else, will have contributed many points to their cause.