Golf: 'Tiger taunt' ups the Ryder stakes

US Ryder Cup team member Tiger Woods yesterday declared himself ready for the challenge of Rory McIlroy. Photo / AP

As if the Ryder Cup needed any more edge in its long and sometime acrimonious history, so Tiger Woods squares up to Rory McIlroy. The world No 1 is angry with the young Ulsterman for picking him out as America's weak link here this week and is determined to make the upstart pay for his insolence.

Woods has already let the 21-year-old know of his intentions. At the BMW Championship in Chicago three weeks ago he confronted McIlroy in the clubhouse and told him: "Be careful what you wish for." It was not uttered in jest, but in a cool manner, which many will inevitably compare to notorious gangsters of that city.

McIlroy made his provocative comments last month as Woods continued to struggle with his game. "I would love to face Tiger," he told the BBC. "Unless his game rapidly improves in the next month or so, I think anyone in the European team would fancy his chances against him."

Woods has shown in the past how unwise it is for a rival to question his ability. There are a list of victims who have done so and then been shot down by Woods, including Stephen Ames, Rory Sabbatini and, perhaps most pertinently, Colin Montgomerie when Tiger was on his way to winning his first major - by 12 strokes.

Will McIlroy be the next to find out the hard way? Judging by Woods' remarks yesterday, he will.

"What was your reaction when Rory said he would very much like to play against you in the Ryder Cup?" came the question. "Me, too," came the reply. "Care to elaborate?" "Nope," said Tiger. He didn't have to. The smile followed by the cold stare said it all.

It was delicious theatre as a little earlier, McIlroy had sat in the very same chair and tried to put his "Tiger taunt" into context. "You've got to realise I said those things the week after he'd shot 18-over at Akron," said McIlroy. "He wasn't playing too well at the time. He's obviously getting his game together now."

Whether McIlroy's explanation will assuage Woods is dubious, although the suspicion must be it probably won't when he hears what McIlroy said later: "For the meantime, I supposed a little of Tiger's aura has gone." Woods has shown a particular fondness of making his golfing battles personal and that is why Montgomerie may wish to revise what many took to be his running order and not put McIlroy and his Northern Irish compadre, Graeme McDowell, first off in the Friday fourballs.

Woods will beg Corey Pavin to find the pride of Ulster in the opening morning's draw and the US captain could find it irresistible to allow the vengeful Tiger - probably in partnership with Steve Stricker - to start off the defence of the Cup. Montgomerie may also consider what the inevitable hyping of this new enmity could do to a rookie such as McIlroy and what effect a big defeat could have on both teams. Monty may well decide to tuck away the world No 9 down the order.

This was just one of a number of dilemmas the Scot was having to mull over last night after the first official day of practice.

At least he could content himself with the two members of his team who have most to prove. With three birdies in the first four holes and five more thereafter, Lee Westwood surely removed any doubts about his fitness.

But the breathless praise was reserved for the controversial wild-card selection. Padraig Harrington received the nod over the world No 7, Paul Casey, despite not having won for two years. Montgomerie was accused of many things in the immediate aftermath of his announcement, including of "picking his reputation" and, most pointedly, of "picking his mate". Now, he feels able to hit back at the naysayers.

In Montgomerie's mind his decision has already been vindicated. "I met him when he arrived on Sunday evening," he said, detailing how the Dubliner hotfooted it over from the Vivendi Cup after closing with a 64, his best score of the year. For Europe the pairings seem set with Montgomerie going with McIlroy-McDowell, Westwood-Martin Kaymer, Poulter-Fisher, Harrington-Donald, the Molinari brothers and Miguel Angel Jimenez and Peter Hanson ... there were no surprises. Neither were there with the golf course, with its thick rough and slow greens which clearly favours the home team.

They will certainly not be to Woods' taste. "They are a bit slow and will probably get even slower," he said. If only the same could be said about his competitive spirit. McIlroy is in danger of discovering it remains razor sharp.

- Independent