With playing future uncertain, Woods relishes Presidents Cup role

Jordan Spieth played in his first Presidents Cup at age 20 and this is his fifth team.

Woods was the only American in his 20s at the 2004 Ryder Cup and the 2005 Presidents Cup.

For the Americans, this could be one of those “nothing to lose” scenarios while the worldwide side needs a point from one of its strongest teams. They’ll play world number one Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar.

“They’re the best golfers from around the world, and that’s the attitude they’ve got to take, and it’s important that any of the past disappointments that myself or Nick or anyone else, doesn’t rub off on them”.

“This is different”, he said.

‘There were some intrepid times, not just for this golf tournament but for life going forward’. “So we’ll see tomorrow”.

The International team includes three Australians – Day, cup veteran Adam Scott and Marc Leishman.

Adam Scott – Despite suffering a down year, Scott, playing in his eighth Presidents Cup (13-17-5), should be fresh and ready to remind everyone why he once held the No. 1 world ranking. There’s a lot that went into giving us the freedom.

Woods has not played since an abortive return ended in February this year after a birdie-less first round in the Dubai Desert Classic.

Aussie duo Jason Day and Mark Leishman will meet five-time major victor Phil Mickelson and Kevin Kisner in the final match of the opening day. “And like I said, this is not a political statement that we’re making”.

“We were just pretty much overlooked quickly, and Ryder Cup and Europe and Team USA were what was talked about”, Scott said, noting that made it even harder to build a cohesive worldwide team of players from such disparate backgrounds.

Oosthuizen, too, said a strong start was key against the in-form Americans. Not to say the call was undeserved; Mickelson earned a team-high 3.5 points in Korea, and enters with a bit of momentum from the FedEx Cup. And with all the young, USA talent out there, it’s more than reasonable to assume the US has set itself up to be a force in these matches for years to come. It’s always been fun for me, ‘ he said. More than 200 players and owners found ways to show dissent by either kneeling, locking arms in solidarity or staying in the locker room during the anthem.

“It’s going to be interesting”, Grillo said. “But right now it’s something I’m really proud of”. It’s no longer a team dominated by Aussies and South Africans, though those two nations are still the most vital.

“We’ve made great strides over the years but we’ve got a way to go”.

But Spieth and Reed, who will have the support of a vocal NY area crowd, don’t plan to let their inexperienced opponents get a foothold. “Seriously? Exactly. As I’ve told you guys, I’m hitting 60-yard shots”.

“Si-woo and Emiliano are two incredibly talented young players”, Price said. But that future is ambiguous at best, and Woods has admitted what we all already knew: We might have seen him play golf for the very last time.