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Tiger Woods won't participate in Ryder Cup, but U.S. captain says road back to golf is 'going well'

Tiger Woods isn't ready to assist the U.S. team for the upcoming Ryder Cup, but the team's captain thinks he's on the road back to playing golf again.

Steve Stricker, serving as the U.S. captain this year, revealed his captain's picks to fill out the team that will head to Whistling Straits later this month on Wednesday. In a subsequent interview, he addressed Woods' condition and painted an optimistic picture.

From ESPN:

"I've talked to Tiger a lot," Stricker said in the interview at Whistling Straits with former PGA Tour players Carl Paulson and Dennis Paulson. "He's a part of this Ryder Cup family; he won't be able to be a captain's assistant this time around just because of his ongoing rehabilitation to try to get better and try to play golf again, and that is going well. He's progressing, he's doing well, things are moving in the right direction."

Woods has been away from golf since his one-car rollover crash in Los Angeles in February. The accident left him with a multitude of serious leg injuries that required surgery and created questions over whether he would play competitive golf again.

While Woods has made progress — he was out of a walking boot by late May — his future in golf has remained cloudy, which makes Stricker's comments very good to hear.

Stricker had previously said he wanted Woods to serve as a non-playing vice captain, but that won't be happening. Instead, the U.S. vice captains will consist of Fred Couples, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, Davis Love III and Phil Mickelson.