Just when U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III thought he was done answering questions about Tiger Woods’ status, he saw the former world No. 1 walk off the course Sunday. You had to be thinking about O.J. as the NBC blimp followed Woods’ car down the highway.

It was one of the rare times we saw Woods driving straight. Sorry couldn’t resist.

Fresh off his 62 in the final round at Honda, everyone had reason to think Woods was indeed back, including Love. It would only be a matter of time before he moved into the top 8 on the U.S. points list, earning an automatic spot on the team.

But everything went out the window thanks to that balky Achilles. They are saying it is a mild strain, but the look on his grimacing face hardly suggested mild Sunday. If memory is right, that Achilles kept him out of action for three months last year.

Woods currently sits in 14th on the points list. He’ll drop again if he is out for an extended period of time.

So let’s see if he comes back for Arnie’s tournament next week at Bay Hill. If not then, definitely the Masters, right? However, Augusta National, with all its elevation changes, hardly is walking paradise. If you thought he was in pain Sunday, try traversing that course with a bad Achilles.

The Tiger Watch is on again.

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207 days until balls are in the air at Medinah.

Before Davis Love III threw up his 64 Thursday the first round of the Honda Classic, he met with reporters earlier in the week. The U.S. captain talked about the on-going preparations for the Ryder Cup. As usual he faced the question of whether he would be a playing-captain if he qualified on the points list.

Clearly, DLIII still has plenty of game left in him after that 64. However, he also isn’t the same player he once was, as evidenced by Friday’s 72. He eventually finished T-21. He is 39th on the points list.

Part of the problem, he said, is that he isn’t playing that much. Last week’s tournament only was a his fourth start. He said:

I’ve been saying that I would play if I made it. You see guys from even farther down popping right back up with a win. So obviously I need to play better and win. I need to play more; this is only I guess my fourth start. So I need to play a little bit more. I haven’t scheduled real well. I was watching basketball the last two weeks and the next two weeks I’m taking kids on spring break.

I’m enjoying my son’s senior year of high school more than he is maybe (laughing). But I need to play a little bit more. I need to get on a roll, and for a lot of reasons, other than just the Ryder Cup, but I’m feeling good about my game. So I would play.

Here’s Davis on other subjects:

On Fred Couples saying he wanted to be one of his assistant captains:

Can we get that on the record that he said that he would do it? (Laughter) There’s no telling what Freddie is going to say. He also said he wanted to be Ryder Cup Captain when he was in Dubai, and he’s 2-0, so we should let him do whatever he wants, because he’s doing really well.

But I think I said that at Pebble, I would love to have Freddie. I would love to have guys that are friends of mine that have done it before.

On Hunter Mahan, who lost the pivotal match in 2010, winning Match Play:

After about the fourth or fifth person to try to put their arms around him and make him feel better, I went in his room and I said: All right everybody, he’s had enough consolation, he’s a big boy, he’ll be able to handle it. He proved it.  He came right back out and has been playing good, and obviously to win the Match Play makes it a little I think a little more evident that he’s over it and is playing well. I was happy for him and Mark that they both played well on Sunday.

On the strong start by American players (winning the first nine PGA Tour tournaments:

Well, it’s very encouraging. It’s what we said last year when everybody talked about, until the guy in the back (pointing to Keegan Bradley) won the PGA Championship. It just goes in streaks. But what we said last year is the Americans are playing very well. They are just not winning the majors. But Steve Stricker was winning a lot. Guys were playing really, really good.

So I think it’s nice to see. It’s nice that people notice that the Americans are playing great.

214 days until the opening matches at Medinah.

It was a good week for U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III. A key player made a big move up the points list.

This time it was Hunter Mahan’s turn. His victory in the World Match Play pushed him to fifth in the U.S. standings; the top 8 earn automatic spots on the team with Love getting four wildcard picks.

Love will be counting on Mahan to be one of his key players at Medinah. Mahan should have plenty of motivation to write a better ending than what transpired at Celtic Manor.

Also, Mark Wilson earned some key points with his third-place finish. He now stands in sixth place. The resident of Elmhurst, Ill. would like nothing more than to be able to make the short drive to Medinah for the Ryder Cup.

On the European side, captain Jose Maria Olazabal has to be pleased with the strong showings from Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood. Obviously, both players will be tough at Medinah.

Here’s the latest points list.

It certainly was a thrilling finish Sunday. Hard to remember watching two players drop key putts on 18 to get into a playoff. Then Bill Haas’ winning putt on 10 capped a memorable day.

Besides Haas’ victory, the tournament opened a window of what we can expect from the U.S. Ryder Cup team at Medinah. Just take a look at the new points standings. Trailing No. 1 Phil Mickelson are Haas in second and Keegan Bradley in third.

Two years ago, those players were nowhere to be found on the U.S. Ryder Cup team at Celtic Manor. Now in 2012, they will be counted on to be key members of captain Davis Love III’s crew against the Europeans.

It isn’t just Haas and Bradley. Kyle Stanley, now fourth, also looks to be a good bet to make the team, and Johnson Wagner is sitting in the sixth spot. I think you’re looking at the possibility of four rookies being among the top 8 players that automatically earn spots on the team.

Ouch: Steve Stricker hopes to ditch surgery and avoid having surgery on a herniated disk in his neck. At age 45, he doesn’t want to give up a shot to play in the Ryder Cup. He currently is fifth in the standings.

Gary D’Amato from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

“After Hawaii, I was kind of leaning toward surgery again,” said Stricker, who first felt symptoms associated with the cervical injury – weakness in his left arm and tingling in his hand and fingertips – in December 2010.

“I struggled in the (Sony Open) so even though it was a good trip I came home a little bit frustrated with my arm.”

After more consultations with doctors, however, Stricker decided to stick with his treatment plan of rest and physical therapy. He said he didn’t touch his clubs for three weeks after Hawaii and his condition improved.

“The doctors said, ‘Let’s just hold off. We’re seeing little signs of improvement,’ ” he said.

Here’s the latest points.

228 days until opening matches at Medinah:

Yesterday was a good day for Davis Love III and Phil Mickelson. It wasn’t a great day for Tiger Woods, but I don’t think it was the trainwreck that everyone thinks it was.

I’m sure the U.S. Ryder Cup captain welcomed the strong showing by Mickelson in winning at Pebble Beach. It vaulted him from ninth on the U.S. points list to first. The victory should secure Mickelson an automatic spot on the team.

That’s important because prior to Sunday, Love’s team was looking like a bunch of rookies and mostly unknowns. With 8 automatic spots, Love needs some of the big names to step up and secure their bids to give him more flexibility with his 4 wildcards.

Currently, there are a bunch of U.S. stalwarts outside the top 8, some of them far outside: Dustin Johnson (9), Webb Simpson (13), Bill Haas (17), Bubba Watson (22), Ricky Fowler (24), Hunter Mahan (33), Matt Kuchar (40), Nick Whatney (43), Anthony Kim (44), and Jim Furyk (68).

Obviously, there’s a long way to go, but Love needs to start seeing those players move up on the points list.

As for Mr. Woods, he climbed from 38th to 29th Sunday in his first PGA Tour start in 2012. Much will be made about how poorly he played on Sunday. And he was pretty horrible.

But I do think he is close. I don’t think he ever will be what he once was, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he won 2-4 tournaments and a major in 2012.

I know Love would be happy to see it.

It’s 234 days until the opening match.

Paul Lawrie. Remember him?

Probably not. Lawrie is the least known British Open champion of all time. Nobody talks about his victory at the 1999 British Open. Instead, that Open will be forever recalled for Jean Van de Velde’s legendary meltdown.

Lawrie, meanwhile, has toiled mostly in golf oblivion during the last decade. His world ranking plummeted to 272d last year.

However, just when you thought he completely faded from view, Lawrie is back in the picture. He won the Qater Masters last week.

His continued strong play has vaulted him back into the world’s top 50. And he’s putting himself in position to earn a spot on the European Ryder Cup team for the first time since 1999.

“I’ve been trying to keep that to the back of my mind,” he said. “If I keep playing as I am I will get in, there’s no question, but there’s a long way to go and I know as well as anyone that there are a lot of good players.”

Lawrie’s comeback is good news for Chicago-based Wilson Golf. He is one of their tour players.

Countdown to the first match: 250 days.

The European team, which already has plenty of firepower, might be getting one more weapon. Robert Rock’s hair.

The Englishman has a set of locks that makes Jimmy Johnson’s hair look like a bunch of split ends. Speaking as someone who is severely hair challenged, I’m definitely envious.

Rock also has some game too, as evidenced by his victory in the Abu Dhabi Championship Sunday. He did it by beating a couple of guys named Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, among others. Impressive.

Now Rock and his hair are suddenly in the Ryder Cup mix. He’s currently 10th on the European list.

If he makes it to Medinah, his hair certainly would add luster to the European team. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

One more day: European captain Jose Maria Olazabal says he will announce his wildcard picks on Monday after the Johnnie Walker, and not immediately following the tournament as Colin Montgomerie did in 2010. That resulted in problems with Euro candidates on the course in the U.S. at the Barclays.

“I think the scenario last time was a delicate one, especially for the captain, and the players playing in the States,” Olazabal said. “We’ve made a decision regarding that: it’s going to be the Monday following Gleneagles. We are going to wait until whatever happens in the States before we make the decision.”

Wanted: Hey, looking to be part of the Ryder Cup. Here’s your chance. The event is looking for operations assistants to work from June through October. The link with more info.

Love hopes he's an automatic qualifier

Countdown to opening matches: 249 days.

I know it’s only January, but if Davis Love III and Jose Maria Olazabal are checking their points lists, so can you.

Thus far, Steve Stricker heads the list for the Americans. Here’s the link to the complete list.

1.  Steve Stricker               1683.075 points

 2.  Keegan Bradley               1647.167

 3.  Johnson Wagner               1590.633

 4.  Mark Wilson                  1170.408

 5.  Jason Dufner                  988.200

 6.  Phil Mickelson                860.964

 7.  Dustin Johnson                802.992

 8.  Robert Garrigus               798.124

 9.  Harrison Frazar               707.724

10.  David Toms                    662.000

11.  Webb Simpson                  610.869

12.  D.A. Points                   496.063

13.  Charles Howell III            484.756

14.  Sean O'Hair                   477.400

15.  Brandt Snedeker               447.883

The top eight on the list automatically qualify, with Love getting four captains picks.

You’ll notice that as of now, the top eight include Johnson Wagner, Jason Dufner, and Robert Garrigus. It doesn’t include Webb Simpson, Jim Furyk, Matt Kuchar, Bubba Watson and one guy named Tiger Woods.

Woods currently sits 28th on the list. You would think with the way Woods finished 2011, he could easily pull into the top 8. But as we’ve learned, nothing is a given with Woods anymore.

Love obviously is hoping Woods is an automatic qualifier. Otherwise, he will face endless questions about whether he would use one of his captain’s picks on him.

Something to watch as the season unfolds.

As for the Europeans, their process is a bit more complicated. The top five on the points lists automatically qualify. Then they go to a world points list. The top five from that list who haven’t already qualified on the points list get an automatic bid. Olazabal then has two captains picks.

Here are the Euro’s standings

1. Martin Kaymer (Germany)           1284550.37 points

2. Rory McIlroy                      1236326.08

3. Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain) 1127185.09

4. Alvaro Quiros (Spain)             1047153.32

5. Sergio Garcia (Spain)              938511.58

6. Paul Lawrie                        794755.17

7. Michael Hoey                       735188.31

8. Joost Luiten (Netherlands)         697221.62

9. Graeme McDowell                    679180.81
  10. Peter Hanson (Sweden)              646533.67

 World points list:

1. McIlroy           137.52 points

2. Luke Donald       133.21

3. Kaymer            110.29

4. Lee Westwood       98.61

5. Fernandez-Castano  94.43

6. Justin Rose        88.13

7. Garcia             80.10

8. Simon Dyson        75.24

9. McDowell           70.26 

10. Quiros             68.19

Team as it stands: Kaymer, McIlroy, Fernandez-Castano, Quiros, Garcia, Donald, Westwood, Rose, Dyson, McDowell (plus two players of the captain’s choice).

Meanwhile, those are on the outside include Padraig Harrington, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey, Martin Laird, Thomas Bjorn, the Molinari brothers, and Darren Clarke, among others.

That’s a fairly strong crop of players.

As I said, it’s early, but it’s never too early to know where everyone stands.

Clarke sacrifice hurts Guinness

Countdown to the Ryder Cup: 252 days until balls are in the air.

Everyone knows that Darren Clarke enjoys a pint or much more of Ireland’s best brew. The guy was practically drowning in Guinness after winning the British Open.

Well, Clarke has decided if he is going to qualify for the European Ryder Cup team, he is going to have to make the ultimate sacrifice: He’s giving up alcohol.

“My golf career has been extended somewhat by winning the Open Championship and I just thought that enough is enough and it was time to get myself into better shape,” he said.

“Therefore my alcohol consumption is taking a massive dint – currently down to zero. However, no pain, no gain and I’m very excited about the route that we’re going down.

“It’s a long road, but I will give it my best shot.”

Meanwhile, executives at Guinness are weeping while lowering their sales forecasts for 2012.

Been a long time coming. I first start writing about the possibility of Medinah landing a Ryder Cup in the late 1990s. Although I was much younger then, I have to say I’m in better shape and my game actually is showing some promise. So perhaps some things do get better with age.

It will be a big year not only for golf in Chicago, but also throughput the United States and Europe in anticipation of the Ryder Cup at Medinah in late September. The Euros look to be loaded, while the U.S. squad will have all sorts of intriguing possibilities. Obvious question: Will Tiger Woods make the team?

I’m going to use this space to begin my countdown for the Ryder Cup. I’ll have updates and post stories related to the big event.

Let’s start by focusing on the U.S. captain, Davis Love III. While Love is committed to playing a full schedule, he admits the Ryder Cup is very much on his mind.

In his first blog entry on pga.com, he writes:

It’s early, I know, but I’ve looked at the Ryder Cup points list. Just to see how friends are making out. I probably won’t pay real close attention until we get to the U.S. Open. That’s when you really start paying attention. It’s just too volatile right now. Once there are 2-3 locks, you keep a close eye on it. I’ll get handed eight players on points and then I’ll have to make those four picks. Come the British Open, I’ll start watching players closely and also play practice rounds with them.

Again, I admit it. I like looking at the points list. I looked at it this morning. But, it really starts to get important after the U.S. Open.

All I know is that it’s going to be a great year and, already, I can’t wait for September.

In an interview with Golfweek, he talks about how he hopes when he’s paired with a potential Ryder Cup player, they don’t view it as a tryout.

“That would be my goal this year, to talk to (players). I don’t want Sean O’Hair trying too hard, or trying to impress me, or worrying about that I’m watching. I’m going to have those conversations with players.”

Love spoke to Golf World about his plan for assistant captains.

“We’re thinking March (for naming assistant captains),” Love said at the Sony Open in Hawaii. “Jose Maria (Olazabal the European captain) is not real sure when he wants to do it, and we don’t want to get too far ahead of him. Just trying to stay on the same page with him as much as I can.”

We’re on our way. Let the countdown begin.