Upcoming U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker said Sunday that he hopes to have Tiger Woods on the team this fall "in one way, shape or form."
Upcoming U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker said Sunday that he hopes to have Tiger Woods on the team "in one way, shape or form."
The Ryder Cup is scheduled for this fall, having previously been delayed due to COVID-19.
Woods is recovering from multiple injuries suffered in a single-vehicle car crash outside Los Angeles on Feb. 23.
"I'm not going to go down that road now,'' Stricker said. "Obviously we're all pulling for him. We're thankful that he's alive. I don't know who said it, but that his kids continue to have a father. Something even more tragic could have come from that.
"I'd love to have him around [at the Ryder Cup]. I'm hoping in one way, shape or form. But it's too early to kind of commit to anything.''
Woods could be a potential vice captain pick for Stricker, who has already named Jim Furyk, Davis Love III and Zach Johnson to the team as vice captains.
Woods was most recently the playing captain of the U.S. Presidents Cup team, which won in Australia in 2019. Stricker was an assistant captain to Woods on that team.
Woods previously was an assistant in 2017 at the Presidents Cup, when Stricker was the captain. He also assisted Love III at the 2016 Ryder Cup.
The crash on Feb 23. injured Woods's right leg, requiring a lengthy surgery to stabilize shattered tibia and fibula bones. A combination of screws and pins was used for injuries in the ankle and foot.
According to the Associated Press, it marked the 10th surgery of Woods's career, coming two months after a fifth back surgery.
Woods has not commented publicly on the crash since Feb. 28, when Woods said in a tweet that, "It is hard to explain how touching today was when I turned on the tv and saw all the red shirts. To every golfer and every fan, you are truly helping me get through this tough time."
The Ryder Cup is set to be played September 24–26 at Whistling Straights in Haven, Wis.