Tiger Woods’ opening Presidents Cup foursomes against Australian Adam Scott, who is caddied by the American’s former bagman Steve Williams, sparked cheers in the Internationals tent, but it was met by a collective shrug from their opponents yesterday.
Williams was fired by Woods in July after caddying his former employer in 13 of his 14 major wins and sparked a global furore in the lead-up to the biennial tournament by making a racist remark about the American in China earlier this month.
US captain Fred Couples put days of speculation to rest by pairing Woods and Steve Stricker against Scott and South Korea’s K.J. Choi in the sixth and final matchup in an attempt to put the matter to bed on today’s first day of play.
Photo: Reuters
“I was in the team tent. All of us were in there watching it and we were all waiting for — obviously we were waiting for the whole names to come down, but we were waiting to see when Stricker and Tiger were going,” Australia’s Jason Day told reporters at Royal Melbourne Golf Club yesterday. “We were all clapping. I think everyone is kind of pumped for it. I think everything — it was a little, you know, these last three days have been kind of fun, but I think come tomorrow it’s going to be a little bit more quieter. We are still going to have fun, but it’s going to be a lot more intense.”
New Zealander Williams apologized online a day after making the remark at a caddy awards dinner and in person to Woods a few days later, while the American said he just wanted to move on from the incident, but the effect of Woods meeting his former employee on the course has sparked intense media speculation in the lead-up to the biennial tournament.
The International team, stacked with Australians and aiming to break a 13-year losing streak, have been keen to emphasize any edge over the Americans, ranging from the tricky Royal Melbourne layout to the boisterous “home” crowds expected to mob the greens.
Photo: AFP
Day, who tees off in the third match with compatriot Adam Baddeley against Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar, suggested he would be one of the gallery’s most raucous supporters.
“Steve [Williams] and Woods have been a great partnership in the past, so it’s going to be a very, very tough competition tomorrow between those guys,” Day said. “I’m just really looking forward to seeing how that pans out.”
Plain-spoken Bubba Watson of the US had a different take on the situation.
Photo: Reuters
“Our team couldn’t care less,” he told a group of reporters. “We care about playing ping-pong and eating some pizza last night after the gala, but it’s all you guys. Nobody cares. It’s golf. [Woods] is trying to kill whoever it is he’s playing and trying to get that point, same thing I’m trying to do,” he said.
The US were more interested in talking up the reunion of former world No. 1 Woods with Steve Stricker, the dynamic duo that became the first to win all four matches in a single Presidents Cup at the last tournament in San Francisco.
Some playing partners have wilted when “entering Woods’ world” and the withering scrutiny that accompanies the American’s every shot, but Stricker seemed to be able to take it in his stride, teammate Jim Furyk said.
“I think they get along ... they got along on the golf course toward the end of last year, a couple of years ago I guess when they played in the playoffs a lot, probably because [Stricker’s] so laid-back,” he said.
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