Padraig Harrington says Tiger Woods is ready for Ryder Cup

By Alan Bastable
September 17, 2010

After failing to qualify for next week's Tour Championship, Tiger Woods has one last chance to conclude what has been a dismal season on a winning note. That opportunity will come at the Ryder Cup Oct. 1-3, and Padraig Harrington for one thinks Woods will make the most of it.

"The Ryder Cup could be the pinnacle of his year, like it could be for me," said Harrington of his fellow wildcard pick. "He will be in a fighting mood for the week, in a mood to perform."

Well then, this calls for a little mood music.

"At the last one in 2008 I was a bit burned out ... but going into this one Tiger's not going to be that way and I'm not going to be that way," said the Irishman in a conference call with reporters.

"He's not coming into this Ryder Cup having achieved a lot of his goals this year and he's probably thinking, 'I want to play well to make it a successful year'."

Right, that or 'Please, god, get me the first jet out of here so I can go bonefishing.' Woods will put on a happy face in Wales and say all the right things about team and country, but it's hard to fathom that winning a foursomes match with Jeff Overton or knocking off Peter Hanson in singles will somehow make Tiger feel good about his season. Added Harrington, who apparently had just stepped out of a time machine from 2001:

"I think he's going to be strong enough to stand up on the tee box against anybody. Certainly no bookmaker will make him a longshot in his singles match."

Hmm, McIlroy v. Woods? My laverbread is on the Irishman.

Europe to face U.S. bomb squad

One thing's certain about the 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup team: they don't take after their 250-yard-driving captain. Speaking with Wales Online, Paul Azinger identifies the defining characteristic of this year's squad:

“This is the longest-hitting American team in Ryder Cup history, no doubt about that. Dustin, Bubba, Phil, Tiger, Rickie, and Jeff — those guys just crush the ball. Steve Stricker’s not short, but he’s not even in the conversation — and that in no way disparages him.”

In comparison, the European players lag some way behind with Northern Irishman Rory McIlory the only player from Monty’s 12 at the Celtic Manor likely to gatecrash the tee-party coming in at No. 9 on the 2010 PGA Tour driving stats with a 300-yard average.

Which means, if Monty's cagey, you can expect to see pinched fairways and waist-high rough at about the 305-310 marks -- aka, right in Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson's respective wheelhouses. When you look past those two U.S. bombers, the truth is the disparity between the two teams isn't all that great: five players on Team Europe average drives of 290+ versus seven for the Yanks. The shortest knockers on each side? Jim Furyk for the States (275) and Miguel Angel Jimenez for Europe (274). Then again, who cares? The Ryder Cup is won on the greens not the tees.

Revealed: Tiger keeps Isleworth home

Tiger Woods has lost plenty this year—sponsors, respect, more than a few drives into unsuspecting galleries. But alas, Bloomberg reports, he will keep his Isleworth home

In a legal document dated July 4, the property was transferred solely to Woods, whose one-car crash in November led to his admission of infidelity and the couple’s divorce last month. The home was assessed last year for $2.4 million, according to the Orange County property appraiser.

Should Woods try to sell his 8-bedroom, 9-bathroom crib in the coming months it makes you wonder what it might fetch. The real estate market stinks, but the manse has infamy going for it, and a long list of other selling points -- security cameras (tapes not included!); pleasant, fast-responding neighbors; rock-solid fire hydrants. However he markets the place, TW has plenty of reasons to unload it soon, 2.4 million of them to be exact.

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Harrington says Tiger in 'fighting mood'