Davis Love III sets clear terms for Tiger Woods for a selection in Ryder Cup 2012
Fred Couples’ personal recommendation for Tiger Woods at this year’s President’s Cup, stirred up quite a controversy last month where many golf critics went over to term the decision a tad too early and reckless. There have been many others who did not put
the blame unanimously on Couples for the American team’s poor performance surely would have landed him in the thick for not selecting Woods.
Whether Couples’ decision was a far-sighted, one as he often claims it to be in several defensive arguments he has given as yet, 2012 Ryder Cup Captain Davis Love III is already feeling the heat for his recommendation the next year.
Love will be leading the American pack in next year’s Ryder Cup hoping to retain the title, the European snatched away in a stellar performance at Celtic Manor last year. Contrary to Couples, whose decision was much influenced by his personal relations with
Woods, Love has already set clear terms for the struggling 14-major-champion to qualify for the Ryder Cup team.
One of the basic requirements Love reiterated, “That he playing a full schedule.”
“I played with him at the PGA, and it just looks like he needs to play some tournaments. I don’t think it’s anything more than that. If he plays a little more, he’ll be fine. I don’t have any doubt that if he plays a full schedule, he will make the team,”
he further added.
Love also criticized Couples’ decision to select Woods despite of his sloppy performance in the recent past. He said that the decision would have been the same regardless of Woods’ performance even if Couples was captaining the team the next year.
“It would be hard not to pick him because you’d be under so much scrutiny because you didn’t.” Love said about Couples’ decision to select Woods.
Fans of Woods however, which of course are in tens and thousands in numbers scattered all over the world, criticized Love’s remarks about the one of the greatest golfers in current times. Love has won just one major event in his long tenure and finds it
easy to pick on and criticize Woods just by being the captain of the team.
Woods, who made a return to mainstream golf after several weeks of rehab for his knee injury, failed to make the cut in the last major of the year, The PGA Championship at Atlanta, Georgia. He also failed to qualify for the lucrative FedExCup Playoff Championship
and will be returning to the course at the Australian turf for the Australian Masters.
The 14-major winner has now dropped down to 46 on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). Woods remained on top of the rankings for several years, more any other player in the history of the sport.