September 27, 2021 BY KANE HARRY WILLIAM
Every sport has one tournament, competition, or single match that stands out more than any other. The one that doesn’t necessarily happen too often, so when it does, fans and the media go absolutely wild. The coverage will start months in advance, with news and rumors about team selections, who’s in and who’s out being discussed by pundits and former players non-stop.
In soccer, it is the World Cup. Occurring every four years (for now at least, and let’s hope it stays that way despite Fifa’s best efforts) it sees the greatest nations on earth coming up against each other, to prove which country has the best soccer team on the planet. The last competition was in 2018, where France was crowned champions after beating Croatia in the final. With the next edition of the tournament kicking off in Qatar in November 2022, fans are already predicting who they think might lift the famous trophy.
In the world of Cricket, there are many tournaments such as the T20 World Cup or the One Day World Cup that are making a claim to be the most-watched tournament in their sport. But purists would all agree that is in fact The Ashes that fans look forward to more than anything. It is a series of five test matches, each played out over five days (weather and score permitting) between England and Australia. The Aussies are the current holders, but England has a chance to claim the urn back when they visit down under at the end of 2021.
Golf of course has the four major tournaments that happen each year. The Open Championship, the U.S. PGA Championship, the U.S. Open Championship, and of course, The Masters. For some, The Masters, held in Augusta, Georgia in April each year, is the pinnacle of the annual Golf calendar. And while this is true for some years, every other year fans are treated to something a little special, the Ryder Cup.
The Ryder Cup is a 3-day competition between two teams, one comprised of the United States top golfers, the other made up of the best Europe has to offer. On days one and two, the captain will put together players to play in either a foursome match or a fourball match. Then on the final day, it is a standard singles competition. It is always incredibly exciting to watch, fans are constantly checking on free sports picks and this competition is no exception. We can’t wait for this year’s action to unfold.
Given it is the top players selected, casual fans will be surprised to see the US team have not selected Tiger Woods. Give his pedigree, this seems like an interesting decision, to say the least. Is there any method to this madness? Let’s have a look and try to find out the reasons why.
Tiger’s formidable record
If you don’t know the name Tiger Woods, then where have you been for the last 25 years? He is arguably the greatest golfer of not only his generation but of all time. He has 82 PGA tour wins (tied in 1st place with Sam Snead) and a remarkable 15 major championship wins, including 6 victories at The Masters. He was ranked as the world number one golfer for 683 weeks from 1997 until 2010.
Not only that, he has tasted victory in the Ryder Cup before in 1999 and has been named as Vice-Captain of the US team in 2018.
So why is he not there?
In the 2010s, Woods went through a very difficult period in his life, both on the golf course and in his private life. He also had a number of injury issues to overcome. He staged an incredible comeback at the 2019 Masters, lifting the trophy for a record sixth time. It looked like he was well and truly back.
However, in February 2021 he was hospitalised after being involved in a car collision and had to undergo surgery on both of his legs to repair compound fractures, as well as a shattered ankle. While he is recovering, he is still going through rehab, so it isn’t a surprise to see him not involved in the US team for this year’s Ryder Cup.
Quotes coming out from his camp are positive, saying “He obviously wants the best for our team. He wants the best for all of us. It means a lot to him.”
So while it is a real shame for Woods, the US team and all the fans that we won’t get to see him take part in this year’s Ryder Cup, we hope that he continues to recover from his injuries, and will be back on the golf course before we know it.
