Alone at the Top : As the Best Player in the World, Woods Carries the Burden of Reversing U.S. Fortunes in the Ryder Cup

Here in the land of clam chowder and boss politics and Red Sox mania, you don’t need a degree from Harvard to figure out the most important question of Ryder Cup week:

Is this where Tiger Woods takes over?

These days, all really big golf questions pertain to Woods, which is the normal course of events when you’re far and away the best player in the world.

Right now, golf’s center stage is the Country Club, which not only features greens the size of tea bags, but is also steeped in history. It’s where a 20-year-old local sporting goods salesman and one-time caddie named Francis Ouimet outdueled the greatest players in the game, Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, to win the 1913 U.S. Open.

And 86 years later, could there be another upset on the bleary Boston horizon? Could Woods actually fail?

Anything is possible, of course, which is why people buy lottery tickets. But at this point in the golf timeline, there’s another way to look at it.

The Ryder Cup will be another coming-out party for Woods, a perfect complement to the two major championships he has won, a chance to perfect his resume with the most important team title in golf and an opportunity to further cement his reputation as the most feared and dominant player since Jack Nicklaus.

That’s a lot for any player to accomplish, all right, but there are a lot of people who believe Woods is up to the task.

Like, uh, Woods.

“We’re here to win,” he said. “I don’t want to finish top two.”

No, you don’t want to do that in a two-man race.

When the Ryder Cup begins Friday, the U.S. will be staring directly into the face of some ugly recent history and it’s probably going to be up to the Best Player in The World to start making some positive current events. If you go by performance, Woods is looking pretty solid.

He has won five times this year--six if you count his European PGA Tour event victory in the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open. That’s more than anybody else. He has won $4.6 million. That’s more than anybody else. He’s averaging 68.48 a round. That’s better than anybody else. He’s averaging 4.41 birdies a round. That’s better than anybody else.

You get the picture. If you’re looking for player of the year in the world, it’s Tiger. And if you’re looking for the player who should be the leader of the U.S. team, it’s Tiger.

“Tiger could definitely lead through play,” Jim Furyk said. “He’s regarded as the best player in the world. If he goes out there and plays the way he’s capable, then that’s going to be a big advantage for us. That in itself could definitely bring the rest of us up to a better level.”

Hal Sutton is another Tiger disciple.

“Tiger’s game could lead anybody,” Sutton said.

So there you have it. There are more vocal players on the U.S. team, such as Payne Stewart, who could probably talk a golf ball into the hole. Or Steve Pate, who would convince that ball to jump in, or else.

But there’s nobody who has the sheer ability to make the Ryder Cup his own, to grab it and stamp it with a big swoosh, to dominate it and overpower it and then smile so simply, as if to say, “You were expecting what else?”

Look at it this way: If Woods were playing the PGA European Tour, he’d be the leading money winner . . . and he has played only six times (three victories, a third, a fifth and a seventh). For the record, the U.S. Open, the British Open, the PGA and world golf championship events such as the Anderson Consulting and the NEC Invitational are part of the European Tour.

Colin Montgomerie is the leading European Tour money winner, but he has played 17 times and earned about $500,000 less than Woods.

Add it up and there can be no conclusion other than the best player on any continent is Woods.

But the best player wasn’t very good in his first Ryder Cup. Maybe all that means is that Woods has something to prove. Not only that, but Woods needs to be part of a winning Ryder Cup team to complete his record. That’s what U.S. captain Ben Crenshaw says, at least.

“How important? I think it’s very important,” he said. “He’s so talented, he’s playing stupendous golf. This is just another obstacle in his road in his education as a golfer.

“He’s matured so quickly and he has had to.

“Everybody is going to be watching Tiger. We haven’t seen a player like this ever. It’s difficult to transport yourself back to Jack Nicklaus’ day. Tiger will lead us by his play.”

Meanwhile, Crenshaw is working on his pairings in his head. Which player will partner with whom? He laughed when he was asked if Woods would play every session. “Oh, he’ll play a lot,” Crenshaw said.

That would seem to be sound strategy for the captain of a team that has failed to win the Ryder Cup five of the last seven times it has been up for grabs.

One of those times was at Valderrama in 1997, when Woods made his debut and the U.S. lost despite its role as solid favorite. Woods played every session, but he was 1-3-1. The only points he produced were with Mark O’Meara, a 3 and 2 rout of Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer in the Friday morning four-balls, and with Justin Leonard, when they halved with Jesper Parnevik and Ignacio Garrido in Saturday’s alternate shot session. Woods even lost in singles, badly at that, a 4 and 2 decision to Costantino Rocca.

Exactly how did that happen? Woods said he was playing in something of a slump, which began after he won the Western Open in July 1997 and extended into April 1998, when he won the BellSouth.

“Unfortunately, it carried over into that Ryder Cup,” Woods said. “And I just didn’t hit the shots at the right time. I didn’t make the putts. But this year, I’m coming into the tournament with more of a positive attitude, and rightfully so.

“I’ve played well this summer. And because of that, I feel pretty positive. [Ryder Cup] suits my game because it’s match play. I absolutely love it. And hopefully, I’ll be able to execute the shots at the right time.”

There was a lot of work done to try to make that possible. Woods and his coach, Butch Harmon, broke down Woods’ swing and rebuilt it into something that would stand up over the long haul. It took a long time to do it, a period that not so coincidentally overlaps with Tiger’s so-called slump, when he didn’t win.

Yet it’s a testament to Woods’ ability that he played so well through 1998--13 top 10s and one victory--while getting a new swing.

Woods said he sees even more room for improvement.

“It’s not as round as I would like to have it,” he said. “But again, my club face is a lot better at the top than it used to be. My downswing is still, unfortunately, I still drop the club down and lay the shaft down, which means that I have to use my hands on the way through the ball.

“But overall, I’m very pleased with the work that Butch and I have done. We have taken out the, well, some of the big, bad shots that I used to hit. I control my trajectory much better in the wind. That was evident at the British Open and at the Western Open and the NEC . . . keeping the ball down and controlling. That’s the product of hard work, but it can still get better.”

This cannot be comforting news for anyone who has to play Woods.

Beginning Friday there will be an entire string of them, all from Europe. If anything can be taken from the way the European players are acting, they don’t seem to be too worried. Maybe it’s because they’re such heavy underdogs, there is no pressure. Maybe it’s their makeup. Maybe it’s because they’re nerveless.

Whatever. But Woods doesn’t seem too nervous either. As far as living up to a particular expectation, well, he has been doing that for a very long time. The Ryder Cup is just another one that he has had to deal with.

As for completing his golf resume with a winning Ryder Cup, Woods pointed out that Nicklaus had a losing record in Ryder Cup and he still enjoys a fairly decent reputation. Actually, Nicklaus was 17-8-3 in Ryder Cup, but you understand Woods’ point.

“I don’t think that’s going to make or break your career,” he said.

Woods went on to say he has won six times, so he has had a good year regardless of what happens this weekend.

“If we lose the Ryder Cup, I don’t think I’m going to look back and say it’s a bad year,” Woods said.

Maybe not, but there are going to be plenty of others who will say Woods could have had a fantastic year and blew it. Whether it’s a coach’s tactic, Crenshaw said certain unnamed players on the U.S. team have a chance to prove their greatness at the Country Club.

“We do have some younger players that have not been successful in Ryder Cup,” Crenshaw said. “And I think that they dwell on that . . . if you’ve done a lot of wonderful things in your career and you don’t tack on a Ryder Cup victory, you feel a little bit lacking, I would say.”

For Woods, he has a chance not to wind up a little bit lacking. At 23, there will be others, to be sure, but for the greatest player in the game, some powerful forces are clearly at work this weekend.

It’s about pride, revenge, money, history, power, worth and self-esteem. That’s a lot to think about when you tee up the ball. Tiger says he blocks all extraneous material out of his head and that he is all about winning. That’s all well and good, but it’s about time it happens in the Ryder Cup, because if you’re the best, you’ve only got to prove it every week.

*

TIGER IN ’97 RYDER CUP

Woods’ record: 1-3-1

Matches: 5

Points: 1 1/2

Four-ball (better ball): Woods-Mark O’Meara d. Colin Montgomerie-Bernhard Langer, 3 and 2

Foursomes (alternate shot): Woods-O’Meara lose to Montgomerie-Langer, 5 and 3

Four-ball (better ball): Woods-O’Meara lose to Nick Faldo-Lee Westwood, 2 and 1

Foursomes (alternate shot) Woods-Justin Leonard halved Jesper Parnevik-Ignacio Garrido

Singles: Costantino Rocca d. Woods, 4 and 2

*

TIGER IN ’99

Events: 18

Top-10 Finishes: 11

Events won*: 5

Money won*: $4,586,825

Leads PGA Tour in eight categories:

Victories

Earnings

Scoring average

Scoring avg. before cut

Par-five birdies

Top-10 Finishes

All-around ranking

Consecutive cuts made

*Does not include victory at 1999 Deuutsche Bank-SAP Open TCP of Europe, or victory over David Duval in challenge match.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Ryder Cup Facts

* Defending champion: Europe.

* Series: U.S. leads, 23-7-2.

* Format: Four best-ball matches and four alternate-shot matches on each of the first two days. Twelve 18-hole singles matches Sunday. One point is awarded for each victory, a half-point when the match is a draw. The U.S. needs 14 1/2 of 28 points to win the cup. Europe, as defending champion, would retain the cup if the competition ends in a tie.

* Captains: U.S.--Ben Crenshaw; Europe--Mark James.

Series at a Glance

1997 Sotogrande, Spain: Europe 14 1/2, U.S. 13 1/2 1995 Rochester, N.Y.: Europe 14 1/2, U.S. 13 1/2 1993 Sutton Coldfield, England: U.S. 15, Europe 13 1991 Kiawah Island, S.C.: U.S. 14 1/2, Europe 13 1/2 1989*Sutton Coldfield, England: U.S. 14, Europe 14 1987 Dublin, Ohio: Europe 15, U.S. 13 1985 Sutton Coldfield, England: Europe 16 1/2, U.S. 11 1/2 1983 Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.: U.S. 14 1/2, Europe 13 1/2 1981 Surrey, England: U.S. 18 1/2, Europe 9 1/2 1979 White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.: U.S. 17, Europe 11 1977 St. Anne’s-On-The-Sea, England: U.S. 12 1/2, Britain 7 1/2 1975 Ligonier, Pa.: U.S. 21, Britain 11 1973 Muirfield, Scotland: U.S. 19, Britain 13 1971 St. Louis: U.S. 18 1/2, Britain 13 1/2 1969** Southport, England: U.S. 16, Britain 16 1967 Houston: U.S. 23 1/2, Britain 8 1/2 1965 Southport, England: U.S. 19 1/2, Britain 12 1/2 1963 Atlanta: U.S. 23, Britain 9 1961 St. Anne’s-On-The-Sea, England: U.S. 14 1/2, Britain 9 1/2 1959 Palm Desert: U.S. 8 1/2, Britain 3 1/2 1957 Yorkshire, England: Britain 7 1/2, U.S. 4 1/2 1955 Palm Springs: U.S. 8, Britain 4 1953 Wentworth, England: U.S. 6 1/2, Britain 5 1/2 1951 Pinehurst, N.C.: U.S. 9 1/2, Britain, 2 1/2 1949 Scarborough, England: U.S. 7, Britain 5 1947 Portland, Ore.: U.S. 11, Britain 1 1937 Southport, England: U.S. 8, Britain 4 1935 Ridgewood, N.J.: U.S. 9, Britain 3 1933 Southport, England: Britain 6 1/2, U.S. 5 1/2 1931 Columbus, Ohio: U.S. 9, Britain 3 1929 Moortown, England: Britain 7, U.S. 5 1927 Worcester, Mass.: U.S. 9 1/2, Britain 2 1/2 * Tie, Europe retains Ryder Cup; ** Tie, U.S. retains Ryder Cup;

UNITED STATES vs. EUROPE

FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

The Country Club

Brookline, Mass.

TV: NBC, USA

THE SERIES

U.S. leads, 23-7-2

He’s Right on Course

A look at Tiger Woods’ professional career:

Events: 67

Wins: 12

Second: 4

Third: 7

Top 10: 40

Top 25: 53

Missed cut: 2

Money won: $8,965,128