Tiger Woods’s Return to Ryder Cup Sets Stage for Epic Showdown – What to Expect?
Tiger Woods’ return to the Ryder Cup has provided a marketing boost that money can’t buy, with the rejuvenated golf icon coming off of a five-year winning drought and sharing the lead at the Tour Championship with scores of five-under 65. His recent 16 competitive rounds boasting a 67.5 scoring average show that Woods is eager to take the trophy home and give the Ryder Cup an extra boost.
The magnitude of Woods’ win last Sunday and the implications of his Ryder Cup campaign are sure to draw an extraordinary amount of attention from golf fans around the world. It’s a situation for which Woods himself is ready.
“It would just enhance the year,” Woods explained, speaking about his potential success at the Ryder Cup. “To be able to play golf again and to earn my way back to this level is something that I was hoping I would do at the beginning of the year but I didn’t know. And I’ve done it. I hit so many quality shots all day, whether it was tee to green or it was putts. I didn’t really mis-hit a single shot.”
The big-name star power of Woods is sure to be the main highlight of Ryder Cup 2018. But that doesn’t mean he’ll be the only player vying for the championship. Rickie Fowler, who holds the same place as Woods atop the leader board after shooting a 65, is also eyeing the $10million FedEx Cup prize. After struggling with a rib injury in his last competition, the US PGA Championship, Fowler was pleased to feel pain-free in this event.
“It’s nice to be back swinging pain-free because I wouldn’t have wanted to deal with how it felt the PGA week for a continued amount of time,” said Fowler.
The field of 30 players also includes Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose, who earned respectives scores of 67 and 66. McIlroy showed immense potential with seven birdies, but a double-bogey at 12th thwarted his efforts to top the leader board. Rose, who just became the world’s number one, held on to a solid lead with four-under 66.
The Ryder Cup in France will no doubt be the most highly-anticipated golf competition of the year. With Woods and Fowler leading the way and McIlroy and Rose right behind, expect to see some of the greatest golf that the tournament has ever seen.
Among all the excitement, Woods wishes for no more than to continue playing in peak form throughout the event. “The biggest win for Tiger is just staying healthy and being out here all year consistently,” he said.
Fowler echoes these sentiments, but can’t help but root for himself in his Ryder Cup battle against Woods. “We hope he continues to play well; I just want to play a little bit better and beat him.”
The stage is set for an epic showdown at the Ryder Cup. It’s a match-up that has never been seen before, and with Woods maintaining such a high scoring average, it might be a race to keep up with him. And with four golfers in the running, only one players can take the trophy and the prize home. The worldwide audience can barely contain the anticipation for next week’s event – it might be quite the show.
