Ryder Cup place is still goal for Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods has reiterated his desire to crown his year of redemption by winning a place on the US Ryder Cup team.

Woods is preparing to feature in the FedEx Cup play-offs at Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey having qualified for the event for the first time in five years.

It follows the 42-year-old’s spectacular return to form at the US PGA Championships this month, when a final round 64 placed his second behind winner Brooks Koepka.

Woods has already been named as a vice-captain for the event, which is due to start in France at the end of next month, assisting captain Jim Furyk.

Woods said: “At the beginning of the year I told Jim I want to be a part of the team, not just as a vice-captain but as a player, and I’m close to making that happen.

“It’s been a long year and one of my goals was to make that team as one of the 12 best players, and I’m training for it.”

Woods believes his battling comeback from four back surgeries which threatened his future in the sport has endeared him to a new group of fans.

In a far cry from his early, dominant days on the tour, Woods’ return has exposed his vulnerabilities and contributed to what he describes as his “different” year.

“Everyone can relate to it because they’ve all gone through it - when you get to your forties you’re feeling it,” he said.

“I’ve struggled and I’ve had some back pain, I’ve been through four surgeries and I’m trying to work back and it’s been tough, and people understand that.

“I think people are more appreciative. They know I’m at the tail-end of my career. I don’t know how many years I’ve got left but I’m certain I’m not like I was when I was 22.

“At 42 it is a different ball-game.”

Pádraig Harrington is looking forward to an enjoyable week at the D+D REAL Czech Masters but his role as a European Ryder Cup vice-captain will not be too far from his mind in this penultimate qualifying event for Thomas Bjorn’s team.

The three-time major champion, who turns 47 on August 31, will tee it up at Prague’s Albatross Golf Resort tomorrow as he bids to rebound from the disappointment of a missed cut at the Wyndham Championship last week which meant he failed to retain his PGA Tour card.

The Irishman will now have to use his one-off exemption for career money earnings if he wishes to continue playing a full schedule in the United States but for now, after an unscheduled weekend off in New York, Harrington is firmly focused on the European Tour and Team Europe’s bid to regain the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National in Paris, starting on September 28.

The Czech Masters kicked off the 2018 Ryder Cup team qualification process last year and is the penultimate event to before the automatic places are decided at next week’s Made In Denmark tournament in captain Bjorn’s home country.

Not only will help determine the final standings in the European Points List, the Czech Masters has also proved influential in helping to decide on captain’s picks with 2016 skipper Darren Clarke suitably impressed by Belgium’s Thomas Pieters two years ago, the Belgian finishing runner-up in Prague then winning in Denmark.

Players on the bubble such as Englishman Eddie Pepperell will be looking to make a similar impression this week and vice-captain Harrington said: “I’m looking forward to it. There’s a lot of discussion about picks at the moment. It’s quite active, there’s a good few names in the hat, I can tell you that. It’s tough and there’s still two more weeks to go and I’m sure there’ll be some changes in that time as well.

“It’s going to be a great tournament no matter what. Am I confident that we’ll have a team good enough to win? Yes. But it will be tight, no doubt about it.”

“Decisions made on the week can make all the difference, for sure. How players play, momentum, you know, it is that close nowadays that it’s likely to come down to the wire, no matter what.

“But we have a good team and it’s up to Thomas and his vice-captains to make sure we get the most out of that team.” As to his personal form, Harrington remains optimistic he can end a disappointing season with a big performance.

“I enjoy my golf and it’s nice to come to somewhere like this. I’ve very mixed form, to be honest, not even mixed form, I’ve had some bad form. I’ve had a strange year, started off not playing quite so well but putting well and now I’ve started playing well and no putting so well.

“So I’m hoping that the two marry together this week and there is a big week in me for sure.”

This week marks Harrington’s first competitive appearance in the Czech Republic since the 1997 Czech Open at Prague Karlstein Golf Club.