Until Wednesday, the biggest name committed to the Safeway Open in October was five-time major winner Phil Mickelson. Then Tiger Woods decided to announce his intention to play in the PGA Tour season opener two weeks after the Ryder Cup.
Now, Mickelson is hoping to join Woods in what will be the marquee grouping for the first two days at Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif.
“I think it’s great; I don’t know the state of his health. I haven’t seen him,” Mickelson said Wednesday after the BMW Championship pro-am, according to ESPN. “I’m looking forward to spending time with him at the Ryder Cup. I think that’ll be great motivation for him. Plus, he’ll have a week off.
“I’m hoping we can get paired together (at the Safeway Open.) That would be really fun. I would love it. It’s great to have him back, and hopefully he’s physically able to practice the way he needs.”
Mickelson, who will be on the U.S. Ryder Cup team alongside vice-captain Woods, isn’t sure what to expect from the 79-time PGA Tour winner. However, Mickelson knows the bar will be high.
“We’re always going to have high expectations because the guy is arguably one of the two greatest players in history, if not the greatest,” said Mickelson. “Our expectations of him will always be high. It doesn’t mean given all the health issues and challenges that he’s faced … it doesn’t mean that’s fair.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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