Steve Stricker Reveals What Tiger Woods Told Team U.S. Players to Motivate Them for Ryder Cup

History is proof that Tiger Woods wasn’t always a fan of the iconic Ryder Cup. However, over the years, Woods has wholeheartedly accepted the biennial tournament. It all started in 2016 when he was appointed as a vice-captain, which remarkably helped the team to win the competition. Soon after, he received captaincy at the 2019 Presidents Cup as well.  

Needless to say, Woods donned the role comfortably. Hence, Team USA captain Steve Stricker initially planned to have him as a vice-captain for the 2020 Ryder Cup too. However, Tiger could not be present at the Whistling Straits as he is still recovering from his solo car crash. Regardless, the legend has found a way to inspire the home favorites, seated back home in Florida himself. 

Tiger Woods sends an inspiring message to Team USA

Xander Schauffele revealed how Team USA received a special message from the veteran, ahead of their clash. Without giving away much, he said, “We had a nice message from Tiger last night. Obviously not going to reveal what it said, but Pat and I knew. We referred to it a few times a day, and we knew what we needed to do.”

On the business end of things, Xander Schauffele, along with Patrick Cantlay, blew away Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter, with a score of 5&3.

The Skipper speaks

Unlike Xander, the Team USA skipper, Steve Stricker, gave a little information on Tiger’s mystery text. “The overall picture was just wishing the guy’s good luck and congratulations for making the team, and a few personal things from Tiger himself,” Stricker said.

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“He’s a friend of a lot of these guys, and these guys look up to him, and I lean on him a lot throughout this whole process. So it was great to hear from him and provide some words of encouragement to these guys,” Stricker added.

Meanwhile, after day one at the Whistling Straits, Team USA looks in complete control of the event. They currently lead the event with a score of 6-2.