Woods, Mickelson to complete K Club trip

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are joining the rest of the American Ryder Cup team on their two-day visit to the K Club next Monday and Tuesday.

Captain Tom Lehman will be delighted. He believes the trip can pay massive dividends when it comes to the match itself in a month’s time.

“It’s worth its weight in gold,” commented Lehman. “Guys have families and they have plans they’ve made and they alter them. While it’s nice we get to fly in a chartered plane, the bottom line is that it’s a sacrifice to do it.

“It’s like when I lived in California. The effort it took to go and spend the day practising made the practice worth so much more.

“Everybody (on this trip) is going to know that they’re paying the price, committing and doing the right thing as a team.”

Woods was not originally expected to be part of the visit because of a commitment with his Foundation, but he said after an opening 67 in the Bridgestone world championship in Akron: “I’m going – we’re all going.

“I’ve had to reschedule a couple of things. I’ve seen the K Club, but it’s just to be with the guys. We are going there as a team – hang out, relax, play some golf. I can pass on a few titbits from playing there.”

Woods has stopped at the K Club ahead of the Open championship in recent years, although not this summer.

The world number one has also said that he was in favour of drug-testing in golf.

Tim Finchem, commissioner of the US Tour, had said on Wednesday that there were no plans to start testing, but Woods commented: “It can be an issue in the future and I think we should be pro-active rather than re-active. I think we should be ahead of it and keep it as pure as can be.”