HOYLAKE, England — After Tiger Woods finished the British Open Sunday at 6-over par — five shots worse than 64-year-old Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson — Tiger Woods had the distinct sound of a player lobbying for a Ryder Cup spot.
Asked: “If you were Tom Watson, would you be inclined to take you for the Ryder Cup?’’
“I would say yes,” Woods said. “But that’s my position, my take on it. He’s the captain. Obviously, it’s his decision. He’s going to field the best 12 players that he thinks will win the Cup back and I hope I’m on that team.
“I got picked by Corey [Pavin] when we played in Wales. I was coming off an injury as well there with my Achilles, and I sat out for most of the summer. And I felt like I was able to contribute to the team. And that’s all you want as a pick, you want someone who can contribute to the team, whether it’s in support or it’s in play. I did it then and hopefully I can actually earn my way on to this team.’’
The only way Woods, who suffered his worst career finish in a major (69th) and 23 shots behind Rory McIlroy, can guarantee himself a spot on the 12-player team is by finishing in the top nine of the U.S. points standings. He’s 67th on the list and plans to play only two more tournaments before the standings close — the WGC-Bridgestone and the PGA Championship.
If he’s outside of the top nine, he’s subject to Watson making him one of his three wild-card picks.
The current top nine is Bubba Watson, Jimmy Walker, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Jordan Spieth, Jim Furyk, Rickie Fowler, Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson, which means Phil Mickelson (12th) is also on the outside looking in.
“If he’s playing well and in good health, I’ll pick him,’’ Watson said of Woods after Watson’s final round of 68 — compared to 72 for Woods. “But the caveat to that is if he does [not] make the FedEx Cup, what do I do then? That’s not here yet.’’
Woods, who’s played only six tournament rounds since his back surgery caused him to miss three months, is also well out of the Top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings (214th) to qualify to play the first event, The Barclays, at Ridgewood Country Club. He’ll need a win or high finish at Bridgestone or the PGA to climb those standings.
“It looks like he’s playing without pain,’’ Watson said. “But, again, he’s not in the mix. He needed to get in the mix to get some points to get some money and get in the FedEx Cup. That’s what I was hoping he was doing this week.’’
Asked if it’s a “burden’’ being the captain and not having either Woods or Mickelson locked into the top nine, Watson said, “It’s not gotten to that point yet. Ask me that question Sept. 1 or Sept. 2, when I make the three picks. If Phil and Tiger don’t make it in the mix there, I’ve got some real thinking to do.
“Everybody is thinking that I’m going to pick them automatically. I can assure you that I’m not going to pick them automatically. I said about Tiger that I’ll pick him if he’s playing well and he’s in good health. And Phil is the same way. If he’s playing well, again, how can you not pick those two?’’
Watson said he “just said hello’’ to Woods this week, adding, “We’re going to talk on the phone.
“It’s a little bit early with Tiger to even talk to as far as where he is,’’ Watson said. “Where it needs to be is higher up on the list.’’
Asked if Woods doesn’t make the FedEx Cup if he thought he should go play in Europe to show his form, Watson said, “That’s up to him. It’s not a mandatory thing. It would make it tougher for me to pick him if he’s not playing.’’
Pressed on whether he would pick Woods if today were the deadline, Watson said, “You know I’m not going to answer that, because it’s not fair to the process. The process needs to be at the right time.’’