Tiger Woods: Why He'll Make the Difference for the USA at the Ryder Cup

Forget for a second everything you learned about Tiger Woods in the last year. It won't matter this weekend at the Ryder Cup.

While you're at it, forget everything you knew about Tiger Woods before last Thanksgiving. The 14 majors and 71 career victories—none of that will matter this week either.

The only thing that matters for Tiger this weekend? His mojo. Without it, Tiger is just another player. If he has it, then the European squad is in trouble.

For team USA, Woods looms as the greatest Captain's pick in Ryder Cup history, with the potential to bring home five points and kill the European psyche. For Tiger, it's a chance to be normal again. After spending most of the year alone on an island, both on and off the golf course, Tiger can finally blend in a little, and I expect it to pay huge dividends for both his game and the U.S.'s Ryder Cup defense.

With no wins and only two top 10 finishes, Tiger was no lock to even make the team in the first place, but let's be honest—he's Tiger Woods. All the drama aside, Tiger remains the most intimidating golfer on the planet, and despite what certain European golfers might say (Rory McIlroy, I'm looking at you), no one will be exactly eager to face him during Sunday's singles matches. 

Don't forget he is the same guy who won three consecutive U.S. Amateur Titles and is 3-1-1 lifetime in Ryder Cup singles matches. This season he has saved his best golf for the biggest stage, finishing in the top 30 in all four majors, including two top fives.

More important than anything on the course, however, Tiger finally has some clarity in his life. With his divorce finally behind him and a new swing coach in tow, Woods was visibly more at ease during the final month of the season and closed with three top 20 finishes.

Now, as part of a team he can step out of the spotlight, at least a little bit anyway, and focus on enjoying the game. As anyone who has ever picked up a club would tell you, that's the only way to play good golf.

Will we ever see the Tiger Woods that we watched dominate the golf world from 1997 to 2009 again? Probably not. Age, injuries, and personal problems have taken that player away, but the fact remains that Tiger Woods seems to be getting his mojo back. If the United States retains the Ryder Cup, he will be the biggest reason why.