Team US vice-captain Tiger Woods heaped praised on the new generation of Americans for their clinical display in retaining the Presidents Cup.
Woods hailed the performance of the ‘young guys’ after they stormed to a 19-11 win – even if just a shade of gloss was removed on Sunday with the Internationals winning the singles session.
With the contest all but over, it was rookie Daniel Berger who claimed the winning point as he edged Players Championship winner Si-Woo Kim 2&1 at Liberty National.
‘This team is fantastic, a bunch of young guys,’ Woods said, with the Statue of Liberty in the background.
‘They have already played junior golf, college golf, and obviously the early part of their pro careers together. It was very simple for us to put the teams together. They bonded really well, and on top of that they really played their butts off this week.’
Called in by Steve Stricker, Woods’ presence in the team room and inside the ropes during competition was been widely praised, but the 14-time Major winner – himself eyeing another comeback post-injury – was content with his role and enjoyed the camaraderie that comes with the team event.
‘For me it’s been fantastic.
‘It’s neat because of our captain and all of our assistants, I’ve played in team matches with them, going all the way back to ’98. To us, it’s a lot of fun because we’ve known each other for 20-plus years, and for us to go ahead and do what we did this week, these young guys really did it for us.’
Woods was impressed with Berger, who epitomised the strength of the new wave of Americans with a solid display at Liberty National.
‘He played so hard. Every time his name was called, he played hard, got points. Today he really hit the golf ball well. Made some really crucial putts, chipped in there at 11, and it was just a really solid effort.
‘I’m really proud of him.’
