Tiger Woods anxious to avoid another Ryder Cup defeat in Paris

Tiger Woods has outlined his determination to avoid another “tough” Ryder Cup defeat when he returns to the competition next week.

Woods is hoping to end his successful comeback season with his first win in five years as he prepares to compete in the Tour Championship for the first time since 2013, and he will then head to Paris for the showdown against Europe at Le Golf National.

The 42-year-old has been on the winning Ryder Cup team only once in his seven previous appearances, the last of which ended in heartbreak for Team USA as Europe mounted an astonishing comeback at Medinah in 2012.

Woods sat out the Saturday morning session and asked captain Davis Love III to go out late in the singles line-up, and he revealed that was when he first began to encounter problems with his back.

After Martin Kaymer holed the putt that ensured Europe would retain the trophy, Woods missed a short par putt on the final green of the last match against Francesco Molinari, and the resulting half-point handed Jose-Maria Olazabal’s side a memorable, outright victory.

“It was tough because we had a four-point lead starting out the day on Sunday,” said Woods, who was handed a captain’s pick by Jim Furyk along with Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau.

“I had worked my way back against Francesco, I was one down with a few to go, and I turned the match and I was one up, and thought my match would be the deciding point, but some of the guys had some tough losses.

“I wasn’t feeling physically well that Ryder Cup, and it’s where my back started bugging me. That’s the only wave I’ve ever missed, was a Saturday wave, because I told Davis I just really couldn’t go. I said, ‘can you put me out later on Sunday because I need the time to get my back organised here’.

“It was tough watching the Europeans celebrate in the 18th fairway when I thought we should have won that one. It was also tough listening to the celebrations at the Belfry in ’02. I was on the 17th hole playing against Jesper Parnevik, listening to them celebrate going up 18. To hear that sound and to not have the point count on Sunday is tough.

“It’s a tough situation, it’s tough as a team, it’s tough for our captain, it’s tough for everyone involved not to have won the Cup because that’s the ultimate goal. That’s why we go over there and play to win, to win as a team, and we didn’t do that that year.”

The US team for next week’s contest has been widely hailed as one of their strongest, but Woods warned that the European team is “one of the best they’ve ever had”.

“We have a solid team, but so do the Europeans,” he added. “It plays out over three days. It’s about playing well at the right time and partnering up well at the right time and making putts.

“I think both teams are very deep this year going into the event, so I think it’s going to be a lot of fun for both sides and see how it plays out.”

(c) Sky News 2018: Tiger Woods anxious to avoid another Ryder Cup defeat in Paris