Zach Johnson isn’t discounting Tiger Woods for the Ryder Cup

Tiger Woods reacts after winning the Masters golf tournament in April 2019. It was his 15th major title and his first since 2008.

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Woods had his first brush with fame when he was just 2 years old. The young golfing prodigy appeared on “The Mike Douglas Show” in 1978, winning a putting contest with comedian Bob Hope.

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Woods, 6, sizes up a putt in Los Alamitos, California, in 1982. His real name is Eldrick, but his father nicknamed him “Tiger” after a South Vietnamese soldier he fought alongside with during the Vietnam War.

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Woods and his father, Earl, celebrate after a 15-year-old Tiger won the US Junior Amateur Championship in 1991. He won the event in 1992 and 1993 as well.

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Woods, 16, tees off at the Los Angeles Open in 1992. That was his first taste of PGA Tour competition, albeit as an amateur. He missed the 36-hole cut.

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Woods played for the United States during the World Amateur Team Cup, which took place in France in 1994.

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Woods hits a tee shot during the 1995 Walker Cup, an international team event.

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Woods talks to the media after winning his third-straight US Amateur in 1996. Throughout his life, Woods has worn red on the final day of a big tournament.

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Woods played two years of college golf at Stanford University. He won the NCAA individual golf title in 1996.

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Woods turned professional in August 1996, and it didn’t take long for him to win his first tournament. Six weeks after he announced he was going pro — with a famous “Hello, world” ad campaign for Nike — Woods won the Las Vegas Invitational. That earned him this big check, a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and a spot in the following year’s Masters tournament.

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Woods made history at the 1997 Masters, blowing away the field by 12 strokes to win his first major. At the time, it was also a record-low Masters score of 18 under par.

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Woods hugs his father, Earl, after winning the 1997 Masters. Earl, a former Green Beret, was widely credited with developing his son’s prodigious talent and pushing him to be the ultimate competitor.

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Woods arrives at an airport in Hamburg, Germany, in May 2000.

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Woods plays a shot from the ninth fairway during the 2000 US Open in Pebble Beach, California. Woods won the tournament by 15 shots, a record for any major. It was Woods’ third major title by this point; he had also won the 1999 PGA Championship.

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A month after the US Open, Woods won the 2000 British Open at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. That gave him the career Grand Slam — a win in each of the four different majors — at the age of 24.

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Woods chips out of the rough at the 2000 PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky. Throughout his career, Woods has always had the largest galleries, with thousands of people flocking from hole to hole to watch him play. He’s also been credited with bringing in millions of new fans to the sport.

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Woods reacts as he sinks a putt during a playoff at the 2000 PGA Championship. Woods defeated Bob May in the playoff to win his third straight major.

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Fans watch Woods tee off on the 18th hole at the 2001 Masters. Woods went on to win the event and complete what’s now called the Tiger Slam — four consecutive major titles.

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Woods chats with golf legend Jack Nicklaus at the Memorial tournament in June 2001. The two are widely considered to be the two greatest golfers in history, and only Nicklaus has won more major titles than Woods.

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Woods arrives in a military vehicle before a golf exhibition in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in 2004. Woods spent the week training with Army troops before hosting a junior golf clinic for his Tiger Woods Foundation. Woods’ father, Earl, was stationed at the base in the 1960s.

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Woods and Phil Mickelson line up their putts during the final round of the Ford Championship in March 2005. For much of Woods’ career, Mickelson was considered his biggest rival.

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Woods celebrates with his caddie, Steve Williams, after his famous chip-in at the 2005 Masters. Woods went on to win his fourth green jacket.

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Woods hugs Williams after winning the British Open in Hoylake, England in 2006. It was Woods’ first major win since the death of his father just a couple of months earlier.

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Woods stands with his mother, Kultida, and his daughter, Sam, as a statue of him and his father is unveiled at the Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim, California, in January 2008.

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Woods had a fractured tibia and a torn ligament in his knee, but he gutted out a playoff win over Rocco Mediate at the 2008 US Open. It was his third US Open win and his 14th major title.

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President Barack Obama hosted Woods in the White House Oval Office in April 2009.

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Woods hits a shot during a PGA Championship practice round in August 2009.

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Woods holds his daughter, Sam, as he and his wife, Elin, attend a Stanford football game in November 2009. Woods married Elin, a model, in 2004. The couple also have a son, Charlie.

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Woods approaches a lectern before giving a televised statement in February 2010. Woods apologized for being unfaithful to his wife and letting down both fans and family. “I had affairs, I cheated,” he said. “What I did was not acceptable, and I am the only person to blame.” It was his first public appearance since being hospitalized a couple months earlier following a car crash outside his home. Woods said he was in therapy for “issues,” which he did not explain. He and his wife divorced in August 2010.

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Woods plays virtual golf with talk-show host Jimmy Fallon in 2011.

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Woods jokes with golf great Arnold Palmer after winning the Bay Hill Invitational in March 2013 and regaining his spot as the world’s top-ranked golfer.

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Woods falls to the ground in pain after hitting a shot at The Barclays in August 2013. A few months later, he would undergo back surgery for a pinched nerve.

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From left, Woods, Jason Dufner and Mickelson hang out at the Muirfield Village Golf Club, where the Presidents Cup was taking place in Dublin, Ohio, in October 2013.

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Woods kisses his then-girlfriend, skiing superstar Lindsey Vonn, at an event in Beaver Creek, Colorado, in 2015. The two dated for a couple of years.

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In 2017, Woods was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Woods, who was rehabbing from another back surgery, said in a statement that he had “an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications” and that alcohol was not involved. He pleaded guilty to reckless driving and went on probation.

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Woods is trailed by jubilant fans during the final round of the Tour Championship in Atlanta in 2018. It was his first PGA Tour victory since 2013.

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President Donald Trump presents Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in May 2019. It was just a month after Woods won his fifth Masters and 15th major. Trump hailed Woods as a “global symbol of American excellence” and congratulated him on his “amazing comeback.”

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Woods captained the US team to a Presidents Cup win in December 2019.

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Woods putts during the second round of the Masters in November 2020.

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Woods and his son, Charlie, warm up before the final round of the PNC Championship in December 2020. Videos of Charlie’s impressive swing, a swing that looks much like his father’s, went viral on social media.

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Law enforcement officers investigate the scene of Woods’ rollover crash in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, in February 2021. Woods suffered serious leg injuries in the one-car accident and had to be pulled from his vehicle by emergency responders.

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Woods plays a shot at the PNC Championship as his son, Charlie, watches in December 2021. It was Tiger’s first time competing since the car crash, and he used a golf cart to get around the course. He and Charlie finished in second place. “I’m a long way away from playing tournament golf,” Tiger said. “This is hit, hop in a cart.”

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Woods attends the trophy ceremony for the Genesis Invitational, which he hosted in Pacific Palisades, California, in February 2022. A year after his crash, he said he still hoped for a return to the PGA Tour but said he was “frustrated” with the timeline of his recovery. He spoke of his intention to return to competitive golf while conceding he won’t be able to play a full tour schedule.

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Woods and his mother, Kultida, pose for photos during his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame in March 2022. “I had unbelievable parents, mentors, friends who supported me in the darkest of times and celebrated the highest of times,” he said in his acceptance speech. “All of you allowed me to get here, and I want to say thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.”

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Woods hits a tee shot at the Masters as he made his return to competitive golf in April 2022. He finished his first round with a 1-under-par 71.

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In pictures: Golf icon Tiger Woods

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CNN
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Tiger Woods could form part of the US Ryder Cup team – or at least, Zach Johnson isn’t ruling it out.

Ahead of the Sony Open in Hawaii, US captain Johnson said he wouldn’t discount selecting Woods to compete in the tournament if the 47-year-old didn’t qualify for the team automatically.

“I would only contemplate having him on the team if he felt – if he was putting up some numbers and some scores, No. 1, where he’s showing some sign of being competitive, “Johnson said at a media conference on Wednesday.

“And then No. 2, that discussion would be had with the other guys that are a part of that team, and specifically him. If there is anything I trust in Tiger Woods, is that he’s extremely invested in this team and the future Cups. Extremely invested. I can’t speak that enough,” added Johnson.

“And then I think you would do anything and everything for the betterment of the team. I assume he would say … I don’t like basing on assumptions … but I’m confident that he would say, ‘Yeah, I can play, or no, I can’t.’”

Last year, Johnson confirmed Woods would be part of the US Ryder Cup “in some capacity,” adding that Woods had made it a “priority.”

LAHAINA, HAWAII – JANUARY 08: Jon Rahm of Spain celebrates with the trophy after winning during the final round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Plantation Course at Kapalua Golf Club on January 08, 2023 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

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Jon Rahm produces stunning comeback to win Tournament of Champions in Hawaii

“Given who he is and what he’s all about, I can’t tell you right now: I don’t know if he will be here next year, but he will be a part of this team in some capacity,” Johnson said.

However, Woods’ health could complicate this, Johnson conceded.

“He’s gone through some things as of late that make it difficult, whether it’s travel or what-have-you,” said the US Ryder Cup captain.

Injury has hampered Woods’ recent career, his playing time decimated since he suffered serious leg injuries in a car accident in February 2021.

The 47-year-old withdrew from the Hero World Challenge in December citing his foot pain, and at various points had looked to be struggling with movement during the seventh edition of The Match that month.

“I think something that is realistic is playing the tour one day, never full time, ever again, but pick and choose, just like Mr. (Ben) Hogan did,” Woods told Golf Digest after his accident in 2021.

“Pick and choose a few events a year and you play around that. You practice around that, and you gear yourself up for that. And you play. I think that’s how I’m going to have to play it from now on.

“It’s an unfortunate reality, but it’s my reality. And I understand it, and I accept it.”

A biennial competition which alternates between Europe and the US, the Ryder Cup is being played in Italy for the first time later this year – September 25 to October 1 – at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, which is 10 miles from the center of Rome.

Team US regained the Ryder Cup in 2021 following a historically dominant performance over Europe at Whistling Straits.

CNN’s Jack Bantock contributed reporting.