While it’s not the unrelenting history of success that Tiger Woods owns in, well, just about everything, Tiger’s history at the Ryder Cup is certainly one worth documenting. The 15-time major champion has played in eight Ryder Cups spanning more than 20 years, and has been a part of a pair of winning teams.
He won’t go down as one of the greatest Ryder Cup competitors ever, and yet, it’s hard to argue he’s left his mark upon the event.
Without further adieu, let’s take a deeper look into the Ryder Cup legacy of one of the GOATS.
Tiger Woods in the Ryder Cup
By the numbers
Total Ryder Cups contested: 8 (1997, ’99, 2002, ’04, ’06, ’10, ’12, ’18)
All-time record: 13-21-3
U.S. record when he has played: 1-7-0
Singles: 4-2-2
Foursomes: 4-9-1
Four-ball: 5-10-0
Through the years
1997: 1-3-1
It was a rough debut for Woods at the 1997 Ryder Cup in a narrow loss for the Americans to the Europeans. Tiger won his first match on Friday — a 3-and-2 four-ball win with Mark O’Meara over Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer — but went winless the rest of the way in. A 4-and-2 loss in singles to Constantino Rocca helped to seal the cup for the Europeans.
1999: 2-3-0
Tiger was a workhorse in ’99, playing in all five sessions and going 2-3-0 overall. Paired with Steve Pate for all four of the two-on-two sessions, Woods went 1-3 as the Americans were walloped in the early portion of the week, trailing 10-6. In Sunday’s singles matches, Tiger was the fifth of six straight American wins, outlasting Andrew Coltart 3-and-2. Woods’ demonstrative celebrations were quickly entered into Ryder Cup lore, and helped to propel the U.S. to a 14 1/2-13 1/2 win at Brookline.
2002: 2-2-1
A better performance from Woods in 2002 did little to help the Americans, who lost handily at the Belfry. Tiger halved his Sunday singles match, the final of 12, well after an American collapse gave the Europeans a three-point win.
2004: 2-3-0
Woods’ 2004 Ryder Cup was headlined by his Friday, in which U.S. captain Hal Sutton paired the 15-time major champ with Phil Mickelson in an effort to give the Americans a “super pairing.” The plan backfired, in part thanks to the tournament’s golf ball rules, and Woods/Mickelson went 0-2 before a Saturday split and a European blowout.
2006: 3-2-0
One of Tiger’s better Ryder Cup performances came in yet another European blowout, as the Americans never quite got going at the K Club en route to an 18 1/2-9 1/2 loss.
2010: 3-1-0
A dominant performance for Woods, who was a late captain’s selection by Corey Pavin and was later paired with Steve Stricker. Woods’ 4-and-3 win over Francesco Molinari provided the U.S. with a spark, but the Americans would ultimately falter late to lose by a single point.
2012: 0-3-1
Woods’ Ryder Cup struggles resurfaced at an inopportune time at Medinah in 2012. Davis Love III rekindled the Stricker/Woods pairing that’d worked wonders for the Americans in 2010, but to no avail — the pair produced three straight losses in the early sessions, three of only six American losses overall.
On Sunday, Tiger and Molinari battled again, this time playing to a draw as the Europeans completed the “Miracle at Medinah” and toppled the U.S. in a massive Sunday comeback.
2018: 0-4-0
Tiger’s worse Ryder Cup performance came in his most recent start — in Paris at Le Golf National in 2018. Woods went 0-4 for the week as the Americans suffered yet another blowout at the hands of the Europeans.
