The Golf Blog: Norman and Ogilvie criticize Tiger Woods’ selection to President’s Cup US Team
The Golf Blog says: The gloves have come off before the President’s Cup in Australia. Fellow Australians Greg Norman, Captain of the International Team, and Geoff Ogilvie both questioned the selection of Tiger Woods by Fred Couples as a captain’s pick for the U.S. Team. Norman suggested that Tiger Woods didn’t deserve to be picked over others who scored more points, but didn’t make the team on points. Keegan Bradley, for example, won a major and 2 tourneys this year, but didn’t qualify.
Fred Couples retorted with a shot at Greg Norman’s selection of fellow Aussie Robert Allenby: “I have no problem with Greg. But I think I can sit here and say Robert Allenby hasn’t won a tournament in 10 years.” (That’s true for the PGA, but Allenby did win in South Africa in 2009.)
Player Geoff Ogilvie got into the mix with a slightly more diplomatic criticism of the “early” selection of Woods, even before the tournaments for scoring points had been played.
OUR TAKE: Greg Norman–who we believe never defeated Tiger Woods head-to-head in any tournament–and Geoff Ogilvie should shut it, lest they face the wrath of Woods on the course. A captain’s pick is, by definition, up to the discretion of the captain. There’s no rule that says the captain must pick a player with higher points. If the captain’s pick were based on points, then it wouldn’t be a captain’s pick anymore–it would be 12 top players based on points. Fred Couples has every right to pick Tiger Woods, who is either the best or second-best player ever to play golf. With 14 majors under his belt, Tiger Woods has earned his spot in any tournament of significance. (Indeed, Tiger does get automatic exemptions into all of the majors based on his prior victories there, should he need it.) We also have to remember the President’s Cup is a made-for-TV event. Without Tiger, the President’s Cup would suffer a huge loss in the ratings.
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