Tiger Woods is unlikely to visit the Ryder Cup as he continues his recovery from his February car accident, according to Team USA captain Steve Stricker.
Woods suffered serious leg injuries in a single-vehicle rollover accident near Los Angeles on February 23, where his SUV crossed a median, went across two lanes of road, then hit a tree and landed on the driver’s side in the brush.
When asked whether he thinks the 15-time major winner will be visiting Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, Stricker said: “Probably not going to happen.”
READ MORE: Wests Tigers chairman lifts lid on ’embarrassing’ Michael Maguire saga
“He’s been, you know, obviously in my ear a lot and I call him pretty regularly. He’s part of our Ryder Cup Team,” he said in a press conference. “He’s part of what we do. He’s been part of so many of these teams.”
Woods has appeared in eight previous Ryder Cups, winning two points for the US’ victorious team in 1999.
Most recently, he was a playing captain in the US’ victory at the 2019 Presidents Cup. He was a captain’s assistant for the 2017 Presidents Cup, where he served under Stricker.
READ MORE: McLaren boss Andreas Seidl reminds Daniel Ricciardo they got ‘destroyed’ the week before Italian win
And although his presence will be missed at this year’s Ryder Cup, Stricker stressed that he will still play a role from afar, as someone he can “bounce ideas off of him.”
He also revealed that some of his team paid him a visit ahead of the competition. But attending the event wouldn’t be the best for the 45-year-old’s recovery, says Stricker.
READ MORE: AFL grand final 2021 Ultimate Guide: Everything you need to know
“I think it’s just not a good time for him to be here physically because of where he’s at in his rehabilitation and tough course to walk,” he said.
“Everybody is going to see it, from tee-to-green, it’s difficult. So probably won’t show up. But he’s getting better and his focus and mine is on making a comeback to play again. We don’t want to get in the way of that because we would all love to see him come back and play.”
The Ryder Cup starts on Friday, September 24.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!