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Tiger Woods' long-running partnership with Steve Stricker to be broken up at Presidents Cup
Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker are likely to be split up for the first day of the Presidents Cup on Thursday after Davis Love revealed that they were “tired of playing with each other”.
Love has more reason than most to doubt the longevity of the partnership which
started with such promise when winning four out of four matches against the
Internationals in 2009.
Love was US Ryder
Cup captain when Woods
and Stricker lost all three of their games against Europe in Chicago last
September.
Now an assistant to captain Fred Couples at Muirfield Village, Ohio, Love has
been privy to a game-plan which seems to involve Woods partnering Matt
Kuchar in the opening foursomes.
The pair played together in the first official practice round on Tuesday and
are good friends.
Couples admitted that Woods would play with who he liked – but joked that it
would not be Phil Mickelson, with whom Woods formed a disastrous double act
at the 2004 Ryder Cup.
As far as Tiger goes, he’s our No1 guy,” Couples said. “All the other guys
want to play with him. Well, probably Phil won’t ... pretty much whatever
Tiger, Phil and Stricker say is going to happen.”
There had been conjecture that Woods would partner Jordan Spieth, at 20 the youngest player in Presidents Cup history.
It is more likely that he will accompany 46-year-old Stricker as the US try to beat the Internationals for the fifth time in succession.
Adam Scott, the Internationals’ highest-ranked player at No5 in the world, said it could be a case of now or never for the visiting team.
“This is a big year for us – we have to win,” the Australian said. “The cup loses any credibility whatsoever if we don’t start winning soon.”
There had been conjecture that Woods would partner Jordan Spieth, at 20 the youngest player in Presidents Cup history.
It is more likely that he will accompany 46-year-old Stricker as the US try to beat the Internationals for the fifth time in succession.
Adam Scott, the Internationals’ highest-ranked player at No5 in the world, said it could be a case of now or never for the visiting team.
“This is a big year for us – we have to win,” the Australian said. “The cup loses any credibility whatsoever if we don’t start winning soon.”
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