Tiger Woods believes his golfing legacy is secure. The golf superstar included himself in his version of the Mt. Rushmore of his sport. Woods listed Sam Snead, Bobby Jones and Jack Nicklaus before naming himself among the four greatest golfers in history. The Ryder Cup shared Woods’ Mt. Rushmore picks Tuesday via Twitter. . @TigerWoods gives his ultimate Mount Rushmore of golf. pic.twitter.com/wJ1mqco23A — Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) September 25, 2018 Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson are among the most controversial omissions from Woods’ Mt. Rushmore.<doc-sep>How humble of Tiger to at least list himself last. Tiger Woods is one of the best golfers of all time. Just ask him. After arriving in France for the Ryder Cup, Woods was asked which four people belong on his Mount Rushmore of golf. The answer? Sam Snead, Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus and... Tiger himself. There’s no doubting Tiger is among the best golfers in the history of the world—perhaps even the best—but it’s still amusing to hear him put himself up there. It also speaks to Tiger’s intense competitiveness and how his self-confidence can border on arrogance. Can you imagine LeBron James or Mike Trout or Tom Brady listing themselves among their sport’s pantheon? They should, but they won’t because it goes against established norms for how we think athletes should act.<doc-sep>Tiger Woods capped an epic season-long comeback to win his first PGA Tour event since 2013 Sunday afternoon. The 14-time major champion seems to have reclaimed his swagger and all of the confidence that comes with it. When asked about his ultimate Mount Rushmore of golf at the Ryder Cup Tuesday, Woods had no trouble placing himself among the greats. After showing glimmers of his former self all season, Tiger Woods capped an epic comeback to win his first PGA Tour event since 2013 Sunday afternoon. Woods seems to have reclaimed his swagger and all of the confidence that comes with it. When asked about his ultimate Mount Rushmore of golf, the 14-time major champion had no trouble placing himself among the greats: "[Sam] Snead, [Bobby] Jones, [Jack] Nicklaus, me," Woods said. He didn't even crack a smile. —Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) September 25, 2018 Woods will look to carry this confidence into this weekend's Ryder Cup in Paris at Le Golf National, where he will make his eighth appearance as a player and his first at the tournament since 2012. The 42-year-old has a 13-17-3 record in the Ryder Cup, a statistic he is eager to improve upon this weekend: “My overall Ryder Cup record, not having won as a player since 1999, is something hopefully we can change,” he told Matt Hardisty. “It certainly is something that - looking back on my entire Ryder Cup career - that’s not something I enjoy or like seeing." With a stacked roster featuring Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, and a rejuvenated Woods, Team USA is the heavy favorite to retain the title at 20-27 Ryder Cup odds. Although Woods is not the favorite to earn the most points for the United States, SportsLine's prediction model—which accurately predicted the legendary golfer's performance last weekend—tabbed Woods as Team USA's top points earner. Woods admitted that, despite his newfound confidence, he still has some jitters heading into the competition. "There's a lot of nerves," Woods said. "It's excitement. I mean, it really is. It's something we don't get to experience in that regard because basically, it's the final round of a tournament on the very first hole and every match you tee it up. It's a different atmosphere and one that we absolutely love." Regardless of what happens this weekend. Woods will surely look to carry the momentum from his PGA Tour Championship performance into the 2018-19 PGA Tour. With Sunday's win, Woods is just three PGA Tour victories shy of breaking Snead's record for most PGA Tour wins in history. He will have his first chance to close the gap a bit further at the Safeway Open in Napa, California, starting Oct. 5.<doc-sep>
In a short promotional video that will almost certainly be memed to oblivion if Tiger Woods plays poorly in the upcoming Ryder Cup, the 14-time major champion was asked to name his Mount Rushmore of golf. Woods didn’t forget to include himself. .@TigerWoods gives his ultimate Mount Rushmore of golf. pic.twitter.com/wJ1mqco23A — Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) September 25, 2018 “My all-time Mount Rushmore of golf… OK, well probably [Sam] Snead, [Bobby] Jones, Nicklaus, me.” It’s hard to argue with Woods’ list. Tiger obviously deserves to be included for a variety of reasons, from his on-course achievements to his importance to the health of the game as a whole over the last two-plus decades. Nicklaus is another absolute lock. Sam Snead is the PGA Tour’s all-time wins leader with 82, although Woods seems poised to overtake him eventually after bagging victory No. 80 at last weekend’s Tour Championship. Bobby Jones, meanwhile, is the only man to complete a calendar Grand Slam, and he founded the greatest yearly event in the sport – The Masters. There are a few other golfers who deserve honorable mentions, though. Arnold Palmer is arguably the game’s most enduring superstar, and he racked up 62 career PGA Tour wins. Ben Hogan won nine majors and possessed one of the greatest swings of all time. Byron Nelson won 18 tournaments in 1945 alone, which included a string of 11 consecutive events. (His official money for that year? $59,612). After winning his first event since 2013 this past weekend at the Tour Championship, Woods seems to have his swagger back. At a press conference on Tuesday, Woods warned the members of Team Europe who have been clamoring to play against him at the Ryder Cup for years. “When my game is there, I feel like I’ve always been a tough person to beat. They’ve been jokingly saying ‘we want to go against you.’ All right, here you go.”