Article: Pulling Tiger by the tail? Sutton denies giving Ryder Cup pep talk to Woods

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Maybe it was a pre-Ryder Cup pep talk in disguise, maybe it wasn't. Tiger Woods insists he didn't take offense, and U.S. captain Hal Sutton denies pushing golf's biggest name into becoming a team player like, say, Jack Nicklaus.

To those accustomed to the don't-step-on-Tiger's tail deference normally paid Woods, Sutton's motivational words Tuesday sounded more like those heard at halftime in a locker room than in a pleasant chat alongside the 18th green.

Sutton, picked to lead the Americans partly because of his reputation for being candid and assertive, is challenging Woods to do something about a 5-8-2 Ryder Cup record that compares poorly to Nicklaus' 17-8-3.

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