CARNOUSTIE, Scotland—Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk says it was fun to watch Tiger Woods contend at the British Open and briefly take the lead in the final round. Whether that means Woods is a lock for the US team is still to be determined.
“I’m going to handle him the way I do everyone else,” Furyk said on Monday before boarding a flight for the Canadian Open. “I’ll ask my top 8 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.”
Woods moved from No. 31 to No. 20 in the Ryder Cup standings with two tournaments remaining before the top 8 qualify for the from September 28 to 30 matches in Paris. Points are based on money, and the two events left for Woods—a World Golf Championship and Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Championship—offer two of the largest purses.
Woods already has been appointed an assistant captain, just as he was at Hazeltine two years ago. He has hinted at being a playing assistant.
He has played just 12 events that offer Ryder Cup points, about half as many tournaments as most American prospects.
Woods had the lead for three holes at Carnoustie until a double bogey at No. 11, and he wound up tied for sixth. It at least moved him to No. 50 in the world ranking, making him eligible for the $10-million Bridgestone Invitational next week at Firestone, where he has won eight times.
Furyk looked at more than just Woods.
Over the weekend at Carnoustie, no fewer than seven players had a chance to move into the top 8 in the standings—Woods, Xander Schauffele, Kevin Kisner, Kevin Chappell, Tony Finau, Zach Johnson and Matt Kuchar.
“We had a lot of guys in pretty good form,” Furyk said. “Flip over to Tiger, you look at him because he’s Tiger, and he’s earned a lot of attention…. I loved seeing him play well. I loved seeing him jump to 20th. It’s fun to watch. But we’ll handle him like everyone else.”
Furyk was a vice captain under Davis Love III at Hazeltine in 2016 and was under consideration for one of the four captain’s picks. He was involved in frank discussions with the captain, and he sees this situation—if it comes down to that—unfolding the same way.
Furyk said a big part of his decision on captain’s picks would be matching players with the course at Le Golf National, where the matches will be played. Furyk and a few Americans took a scouting trip on the weekend before the British Open. He said Finau played the course mainly with a 3-iron, and Justin Thomas hit only seven drivers over 72 holes during the French Open.
“It’s a good second-shot golf course,” he said.
GARCIA NEEDS GOOD RESULTS
THREE tournaments remain before the top 8 players qualify for the US Ryder Cup team, including $10 million or more purses from the World Golf Championship at Firestone and the PGA Championship.
Another deadline quickly approaching is the FedEx Cup, and Adam Scott did himself a big favor with his tie for 17th at the British Open.
Scott moved from No. 123 to No. 107 in the FedEx Cup standings. He should be set, especially being guaranteed points in two weeks at the Bridgestone Invitational. Scott, who has fallen to No. 73 in the world ranking, gets into Firestone because he played in the Presidents Cup last year.
“There’s good stuff in my game,” Scott said. “I didn’t hit it as well as I wanted this week, but there was still plenty of good in that. My short game is really good, I thought. So if I can just get the rhythm of the golf swing going a little better over the next couple weeks, I really feel like I can make a mark at the PGA and try to put a dent in the end of the season.”
Image credits: AP