Ryder Cup wildcard beyond special: Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods admitted it was beyond special to be set for an eighth Ryder Cup appearance after being named as a wildcard by US captain Jim Furyk. Furyk sprung no surprises as he named Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson and Woods as his first three wild cards, the trio having finished ninth, 10th and 11th in qualifying respectively.

But playing well enough to fully justify his place in the side is still a remarkable achievement by Woods, who underwent spinal fusion surgery in April last year and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence the following month when he was found asleep at the wheel of his car.

Woods only returned to competitive golf in November but has been impressive ever since removing any lingering doubts about his place on team. Since making his debut in 1997, Woods has compiled a poor record in the event with 13 wins, 17 defeats. "I made my first team at Valderrama and it was a great learning experience to see the passion that one of our late, great team leaders in Payne Stewart showed for the event," Woods said.

"He made me understand how important the Ryder Cup is and from that moment on I always wanted to be part of every team. I haven't been part of the team playing-wise for six years. "I served as vice-captain and that was absolutely incredible to be part of the team, to try to help these young guys in any way I could. This year, to be able to play again is beyond special."

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever