Entering the frenzied bear pit of the Ryder Cup ought to be the last thing Tiger Woods feels like doing right now after the traumas of the past 10 months. Public humiliation, private torment, a lengthy self-imposed exile and a disappointing comeback hardly constitute ideal preparation for one of the most mentally demanding contests in golf. But Woods has proved time and again that he has a knack of treating convention with contempt, and it would be unwise to bet against him proving influential at Celtic Manor, even if the Ryder Cup has rarely been a happy hunting ground for him during his glittering career. Woods said Friday that making the US Ryder Cup team as a selection of captain Corey Pavin didn't raise the pressure on him to perform. “Contrary to what some people might think, I don't feel extra pressure or incentive as a captain's pick to perform,” Woods said on his blog posted on www.tigerwoods.com. “The goal is to win every match you're put out there so you can help the team retain the Cup.” Woods said he was “really looking forward” to getting to Wales. “I'm excited about going over there and competing and playing with whomever my captain puts me out there with.” Woods also indicated he'd be satisfied if Pavin opts not to put him in the maximum number of matches. “I've never missed a match, but we'll see what happens,” he said. “I just want to get over there and see the golf course and be ready come Friday.” In five previous appearances he has only featured on a winning American team once, at Brookline in 1999, and in 24 matches he has a losing record - winning nine, losing 13 and halving two. The hoopla surrounding the superstar has been cited by some as a reason for the problems the United States had in breaking Europe's dominance of the event over much of the past decade until they won without him in 2008. A popular theory is that the absence of Woods at Valhalla two years ago liberated a fresh-faced American team and forced Paul Azinger's inexperienced lineup to step up to the plate. “Without him, everyone wanted to be leader of the team,” recalled Sergio Garcia. “You could see a different energy in the team.” Others have questioned whether Woods will be a hindrance or a help this year. Peter Oosterhuis, a veteran of six Ryder Cups, suggested recently that Woods' presence may prove corrosive. “Reading about things that have happened with Tiger playing the Ryder Cup before, he hasn't fitted in with the team very well at all. I have my doubts about how he will this year,” Oosterhuis said. “I don't think he's going to help the team.”
