Could Tiger and Phil both be at the Ryder Cup?

Though it may have seemed uncertain months ago, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson could both be at this year’s Ryder Cup.

Woods’ car accident in February and Mickelson’s poor play made uncertain their status for this year’s edition of the biennial matches between the United States and Europe, which will be held Sept. 24-26 at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin.

Mickelson won last week’s PGA Championship, however, and Woods appears to be making progress in his recovery.

He was recently photographed in public, appearing on the Instagram feed of a young cancer patient who met Woods at a soccer game. Woods was out of the walking boot he wore in last month’s Instagram post, but he was on crutches and his right leg, which received the worst of the injuries from his February crash, was covered in a compression sock.

Woods’ return to play remains uncertain but he has shown a passion for serving at team events in any capacity. That’s true of this year’s Ryder Cup, as well.

“He’s all in with us,” U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker said this week. “He’s all in to help us in any capacity that he can. We’re not sure health-wise where he will be at at that point, but he’s all in. That’s the kind of guy he is. What he means to the players is a great deal and what he can bring to the team is insurmountable, too. Hopefully we can have him be a part of it in some shape or form.”

Woods first served as a vice captain at the 2016 Ryder Cup, bringing the same competitiveness to his captaincies as he has shown on the course throughout his career. He also was a vice captain under Stricker at the 2017 Presidents Cup before performing admirably as a playing captain in the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne. The United States won all three events.

“I'd love to have him there,” Stricker said at last week’s PGA Championship. “Who wouldn't, right? The guys really respect him and he did a great job obviously as a captain, but he was an assistant captain of mine in 2017 of the Presidents Cup and he was unbelievable. He would do anything for you and he's totally, totally vested in the situation and the process and almost to the point of he's on it early and so much, it's like, dude, we've still got months to go yet.”

After winning the PGA, Mickelson moved from 52nd to 16th on the U.S. points list. He’s still 10 spots outside of automatic qualification but certainly on Stricker’s short list for one of the six captain’s picks.

“There was a reason why he was 52nd, right? He wasn't playing all that great. Well, now there's a reason why he's 16th, because he had one great tournament,” Stricker said. “But now I need to see what he's going to do from this point forward. We still have a lot of play left. I'm rooting for him. He's a great team player. He's great in the locker rooms. He's a great partner. So I'd love to see him continue what he did this last week and keep climbing that point list because I think he's a huge benefit for our team. Bottom line, I think he does us a lot of good.”

Mickelson’s popularity and his victory in the PGA of America’s flagship event will make him a strong candidate. The PGA of America also runs the Ryder Cup. Mickelson’s candidacy is also bolstered by the similarities to Kiawah Island and Whistling Straits.

“I told people last week before the PGA started that I was going to watch who plays well there because it’s a Pete Dye course on a body of water and the wind blows,” Stricker said. “There’s a lot of similarities to whistling straits. That’s a feather in his cap if (Phil) needs a pick.”

John Daly in 1991 was the last American to win the PGA Championship but fail to qualify for that year’s Ryder Cup (Rich Beem won the 2002 PGA but did not play in that year’s Ryder Cup, which was delayed by 9/11, because the rosters were frozen from 2001).

Mickelson’s role should he not make the team remains uncertain. The 2019 Presidents Cup was the first team event since the 1993 Ryder Cup where Mickelson wasn’t on the U.S. roster. Could this year mark Mickelson’s debut as a vice captain, a role that would prepare him for future Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup captains?

It remains to be seen, but the possibility of both Woods and Mickelson at the Ryder Cup, in any capacity, is good news.