Tiger Woods embraces role as vice-captain, invested like a player

Tiger Woods watches the action at the Ryder Cup. (Getty Images)
Tiger Woods watches the action at the Ryder Cup. (Getty Images)

CHASKA, Minn. — The blade goes back and through and the putt drops. The crowd goes berserk in a patriotic outburst. Tiger Woods fist pumps like he’s done so many times in his career, punching the air with his right hand.

Dustin Johnson had just made the 8-footer for birdie to win the eighth hole of his Friday morning match at the Ryder Cup. With Johnson and partner Matt Kuchar now five up against Europe’s Lee Westwood and Thomas Pieters in their foursomes showdown, Woods could sense the boys were ready to step on some necks like he used to do.

As Johnson and Kuchar walked off the green together, Woods slapped their hands on their way to the next hole.

This is Tiger Woods’ role this week at Hazeltine. Officially, he’s one of five U.S. team vice-captains – Bubba Watson was a late addition to the team – who have a multi-faceted job to make sure the 12 American players look, feel and perform at their best. Woods, in particular, has been working this week with four players – Johnson, Kuchar, Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth – and doing what they need to, as Phil Mickelson said Wednesday, to be put in a position to succeed.

That takes on a lot of forms. Woods can be a cheerleader, like he was on the eighth green. He can be an informant and a confidant, as he was talking to Kuchar while they walked up to the U.S. approach shot on the ninth hole. Sometimes, he can be a gofer for snacks and sandwiches and drinks, all which travel on his decked-out golf cart in cooler bags and boxes. He can be the media, as he and the other vice-captains have tablets in their carts which can stream the action from all over the course.

Woods does everything but hit the shots. However, that doesn’t stop the fans from acting like the 14-time major winner is taking on the Europeans in a two-on-one handicap match. Fan after fan yells out at Tiger as he walks past.

“Go get ’em, Tiger!”

“Way to go, Tiger!”

“I named my kid after you, Tiger!” (Really, that was said.)

Tiger Woods looks on during morning foursomes competition at the Ryder Cup. (Getty Images)
Tiger Woods looks on during morning foursomes competition at the Ryder Cup. (Getty Images)

They take pictures of Tiger like they haven’t seen this guy in these parts before, even though he nearly won both the 2002 and ’09 PGA Championships here. The looks on the fans’ faces as he comes into their field of vision is reminiscent of a kid stumbling on Santa Claus. He’s real! He’s here!

And that’s true, but Woods isn’t competing. The fans don’t seem to care. Between him and Paulina Gretzky, the galleries hooted and cheered for them just about as much as Johnson and Kuchar.

But for Woods, his new gig involves a lot of standing around and talking. He spent some time catching up with two-time major champion and putting guru Dave Stockton at the ninth. He caught up with a photographer on the 11th hole, letting him snap some up-close photos. When he wasn’t talking to his players or people he’s known forever, he was looking at his phone, checking in on messages. Every once in a while, he used the radio to share what’s unfolding with everyone on the American channel, including captain Davis Love III. The earpiece was practically cemented in Woods’ ear.

Woods’ long-time buddy and former Stanford roommate Notah Begay III is often his personal chauffeur, driving him in the cart. Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish fame was a frequent passenger on Woods’ cart during the morning session, even when Woods wasn’t in it. More often than not, Woods preferred to walk, sometimes alongside his guys, sometimes closer – but not all that close – to the rope line.

It was a shorter walk than usual for this match. Johnson and Kuchar lost the ninth hole, but that was the only hole in the match they lost. The nail in the coffin was on the long par-3 13th. After Johnson’s tee shot found a greenside bunker, and Kuchar hit a sub-standard explosion to 12 feet, the U.S. Open champion drained a par putt that pressured Westwood to miss his par bid. The Americans were five up with five to play – dormie, in match play parlance – and could do no worse than halve the match.

As the cluster of wives and girlfriends, other onlookers and officials moved on to the 14th hole, Woods stayed back to greet his players. He nodded his head knowingly several times before giving each guy a big hand slap, the kind that stings in a good way.

A hole later, Kuchar faced a 7-foot birdie putt to match Pieters’ effort and lock up the match. Watching stoically just off the green, Woods gave a modest arm pump when the U.S. putt dropped. He waited for Johnson and Kuchar to celebrate before going up to offer his congratulations. Thomas Bjorn, the European vice-captain assigned to the match, came over to Woods, shook his hand and gave him a wink.

As TV and radio interviewed the winners, Woods’ work wasn’t over. He walked down to his cart, with Begay and Rucker waiting, and took the ride back toward the U.S. team room. He had to rest up; his boys were going out again in the anchor match in the afternoon.


Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.