Woods hopes US team can click

Tiger Woods insists the American Ryder Cup team’s visit to the K Club today and tomorrow has not been designed specifically to let the Europeans know they mean business.

“Whether it sends a strong message or not, our whole deal is to come together, gain experience, gain some knowledge on the golf course and be ready to play come time for the cup,” said Woods, winner of his last four tournaments.

“As we all know, it’s not about sending messages – it’s all about making putts and executing (shots) and making twos, threes and fours, nothing higher.”

The world number one, 30, was not originally going to make the trip because of a clash with a charity event in Boston.

But he re-arranged things and said after retaining the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron last night: “It was important for all of us to get together and be together and to gel as a team.

“Some of the guys have never played there. I’ve played there more than anybody else on the team, so hopefully I can help out some of the guys.”

The match itself is now only three weeks away and the specially chartered jet enabled Tom Lehman’s side to view the Dublin course in tournament shape in relative peace and quiet.

An American team containing four relative unknowns in Vaughn Taylor, JJ Henry, Zach Johnson and Brett Wetterich has already been written off in some quarters.

Rick Reilly, one of the country’s top sports columnists has described them as having “all the intimidation power of the Liechtenstein navy – the single worst team we have taken to a Ryder Cup”.

And Woods was not exempt from the criticism.

“Tiger. He’s the number one in the world by a light year, the golfing gladiator. Until he gets to the Ryder Cup and then suddenly he becomes Dead Man Walking,” said Reilly.

“He mopes round like a husband in couples therapy, only he talks to his partner less. It might be the only thing he sucks at.

“He is not wired for team play. Why should he buddy up with people he’s trained to swallow in two bites or less? Lions don’t room with lambs.”

Woods’ feelings for the event have been a subject for debate for longer than two years.

Before the 2002 match at The Belfry he said he wanted to win a world championship more than he wanted to win the Ryder Cup.

Given the chance in Akron last week to say whether he regretted the impression that left – that his commitment to the cause was less than 100% – he answered: “Right now I’m focusing on this event.

“That’s what I was trying to tell you guys – the event I’m playing in is the one I’m focusing on.

“The Ryder Cup was the following week. I’m trying to win the event, which I believe was the American Express at the time in Mount Juliet. I was trying to win that.

“So yeah, the Ryder Cup is in the future. I’ve got three more tournaments prior to it, so hopefully I can get all three of those before I get to the Ryder Cup.”

Whatever the strength in depth of Lehman’s line-up, Woods is doing all he can to knock holes in Europe’s star.

In his past four tournaments he has gone head-to-head with Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald, Paul McGinley and Paul Casey – all but McGinley in the final round – and won each time.

Not one of the quartet managed to break par playing with Woods.

His Ryder Cup record is a wretched seven wins from 20 games and he admits he does not like aspects of the week. But he likes winning more – and he is approaching this year’s match in one of the hottest streaks of his career.

It is a career 10 years old this weekend which has already brought him 70 individual titles. Now he wants a team one again.