It's Time to Think Outside the Box
So it's hard to find a partner for Tiger Woods. We get it. He's got a losing record (14-20-2) in team play in Ryder and President's Cup play. Enough of a losing record that if he goes 4-0 in team play this week, he'll still have a losing record.
Pairing Tiger with the best in the world doesn't work; it was a miserable experience playing with Phil Mickelson two Ryder Cups ago. Putting him with a friend was a mild success; he played OK with Charles Howell in 2003, but both players are in different places now. Pairing him with another grinder has seen the best results; with Jim Furyk, Tiger is 4-2-1 in two events, dating back to the last President's Cup. Furyk is the safe choice.
Who wants safe? Maybe it's time for Jack Nicklaus to put Tiger with a new guy. Maybe he needs to be paired with one of the rookies who make lots of birdies (Hunter Mahan, Lucas Glover) . It would a) allow Furyk to be the calming influence on another player -- Tiger does not need a calming influence; b) put Tiger in a position that he might be able to bring out the best in a rookie, while pressing himself at his normal level; c)take a little pressure off the rookies knowing that the best who might have ever played the game has their back; and d) be the only thing that hasn't been tried before.
The last is the X Factor. Tiger is known for eliminating risks, for avoiding the big number. How about taking a risk once? If his team plays poorly, it's more evidence that Tiger just isn't suited for team play. If they play well, the risk pays off. These team events aren't going to define Tiger the way they have players like Sergio Garcia and Colin Montgomerie. We know Tiger is good. Maybe thinking outside the box is the way to bring out the best in him this week.
