Although Tiger Woods will not be joining Steve Stricker at the Ryder Cup as an assistant, the U.S captain said that he has been in touch with Woods since Woods was in a serious car crash on February 23.
After making six selections for the U.S. side against Europe, Stricker suggested that the 15-time major champion may try golf again.
In an interview at Whistling Straits, Stricker stated that he had spoken to Tiger a lot. He was speaking with Dennis Paulson and Carl Paulson, former PGA Tour players. He's part of the Ryder Cup family. His ongoing rehabilitation to improve his game and to learn how to play golf again is affecting his ability to serve as a captain's assistant. He is making progress, he's doing well and things are moving in a positive direction.
Stricker said last week that Woods wouldn't be at Whistling Strikes as vice captain. He's not able at the moment. Although he is making good progress, Whistling Straits can be difficult to navigate. He has already helped and will continue to help."
Woods sustained serious injuries in the accident in Southern California, including broken bones in his right leg, multiple injuries to his right ankle, and foot. Woods and Mark Steinberg, his agent, have not provided any information about Woods' condition in the past months, except for a picture Woods shared on social media showing him using crutches in his backyard. This was late April.
Steinberg was unable to be reached Wednesday.
Woods was 3-0 as the playing captain for the U.S. in the 2019 Presidents Cup. He last played with Charlie at the Father-Son event in December. He played in the 2020 Masters, November.
In December, he had just completed a fourth procedure on his back and was recovering from that. The accident happened while he was driving to a documentary shoot at the golf course.
Woods was speeding at a high rate of speed when his car crossed the median and ended up in a grassy area. Woods remained in hospital for almost a month.
Woods has been very interested in the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup over recent years. Woods was a teammate of Stricker during the 2017 Presidents Cup. He also assisted Davis Love III at 2016 Ryder Cup. Both were U.S. wins. In his final Ryder Cup appearance, he went 0-4 in 2018.
