Opinion | Ryder Cup careers in ruins: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson need to exit the stage – like a footballer past his prime
Woods a pale shadow of his legend in the United States v Europe showpiece, while Mickelson also needs to save his legacy and hand over the baton before it’s too late
Phil Mickelson watched the ball splash into the pond in front of the 16th green and knew he was done. No need to hit any more errant shots on a day filled with them. Lefty removed his cap and stuck out his right hand to Francesco Molinari, golf’s version of the white flag.
A few minutes earlier, Tiger Woods went through the same concession ritual at No. 17. He offered up a sad, solemn handshake to Jon Rahm after the young Spaniard banged in a short birdie putt, setting off a fiery, fist-pumping celebration by a player not much more than half Woods’ age.
For Woods and Mickelson, it was a lost week in France.
Like so many other weeks in their Ryder Cup careers.
Maybe the time has come for both of them to exit this particular stage – for the good of their country, for the good of all those young American players eager to take on a leadership role, for the good of their own legacies.
