He may only be just warming up for his Ryder Cup qualifying campaign, but Tiger Woods is already looking forward to the 2014 match at Gleneagles.
Woods, the world No.1, is on European Tour duty this week in the Dubai Desert Classic where he is looking to bounce back from a crippling 79 during the defence of his Farmers Insurance Open crown at Torrey Pines on the PGA circuit last weekend.
That turbulent third round, which subsequently led to him missing the event's secondary cut, saw Woods drop to 25th place on the US Ryder Cup points list. With all four majors to come, however, as well as a series of lucrative WGC events, Woods has plenty of opportunities to clamber up the ladder.
"I'm looking forward to it but I'm not even on the team right now, points-wise," said the 14-time major winner as he looked towards the Ryder Cup's return to Scotland for the first time since 1973.
"I've got to get myself there first but it'll be fun to play in Scotland. We've played at the Belfry and it's moved around to Spain and Wales. But we haven't been in Scotland in a very long time. So it's going to be nice to go there and play at Gleneagles."
Woods' more immediate focus will be on this week's 25th anniversary Dubai Desert Classic. The 38-year-old forms a marquee group for the opening two rounds with Rory McIlroy and the defending champion, Scotland's Stephen Gallacher.
Event organisers will bestow $2.5m on the first player who manages an unlikely hole-in-one on the par-four 17th during the closing 36 holes. "I think my caddie will leave me with the driver and run to the green because he is on 10%," said Gallacher. "There is no way I will be laying up for that hole."
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