Tiger Woods is a vice captain on this year’s U.S. Ryder Cup team. Maybe he had flashbacks to his playing days as he tried to get in on the above team photo. Sorry, Tiger, no assistants allowed for this pic.
In addition to Woods, U.S. captain Davis Love III announced Monday that Bubba Watson has been added to the team as a fifth vice captain. The two-time Masters champion and 7th-ranked player in the world competed as a player on the last three U.S. squads, and said at the start of the year that his goals were to play in both the Olympics and the Ryder Cup.
Watson finished tied for eighth at the Rio Games, but he wound up just outside of the eighth and last automatic qualifying spot as a Ryder Cup player. He then began lobbying behind the scenes for one of the four captain’s picks at Love’s discretion.
Watson was described as “heartbroken” after the first three picks went to J.B. Holmes, Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar. But he also made it a point to let Love know he “still wanted to be part of the team,” even if it meant as a non-playing assistant.
Watson joins Woods, Steve Stricker, Tom Lehman and Jim Furyk as assistants. Love told at least one PGA of America official that he’d “have this figured out way before the Tour Championship starts.
“And I was, of course, completely wrong,” he said, laughing.
Love also talked previously about trying to balance all the outsized personalities that will make up the U.S. squad, as well as his assistants. After some review, he decided Watson would be a valuable complementary part.
“We felt like we needed experience with our assistant captains. We needed some former captain experience and some possible future captain experience. Obviously Bubba rounds that out; major championship experience, Ryder Cup experience, on our side,” Love said.
“He adds a lot of fun. He adds a different personality. But,” Love added, “he brings a great heart.
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