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Jim Furyk Says Tiger Woods Isn't Guaranteed a Spot on US Ryder Cup Team
July 23, 2018
Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk isn't ready to put Tiger Woods on the United States team just yet despite an impressive performance at The Open Championship.
"I'm going to handle him the way I do everyone else," Furyk said Monday, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "I'll ask my top eight guys. The way he's playing, he might be one of them. I'll ask the vice captains, collectively, and I think we'll do the best we can to round out the team. We want the guys playing the best."
The Ryder Cup will be held at Le Golf National in Guyancourt, France, from Sept. 28-30 and pit the best American golfers against the best European golfers.
The AP explained Woods propelled himself from No. 31 to No. 20 in the Ryder Cup standings by finishing in a tie for sixth place at The Open Championship, a mere three strokes behind winner Francesco Molinari.
Woods—who has already been named as a vice captain for the Ryder Cup and could be a playing assistant—has two tournaments remaining before the top eight qualify for the September event.
It appeared for a time Sunday the 14-time major champion was going to add his 15th title and first major championship since 2008 when he seized the outright lead with two birdies and numerous head-turning par saves through 10 holes. However, a double bogey on No. 11 and bogey on No. 12 spelled his undoing.
Still, it was another impressive showing from Woods in a year that already features a tie for second at the Valspar Championship, tie for fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and tie for 11th at The Players Championship.
He is ranked in the top 50 in the world (50) for the first time in more than three years and is playing like someone worthy of representing the Red, White and Blue in the Ryder Cup. Furyk isn't ready to make that commitment yet, but Woods is heading in the right direction following another formidable performance as he battles back from injuries and time off.