Thomastown, Ireland ? No one can accuse Tiger Woods of looking ahead to next week’s Ryder Cup.

Woods birdied the last two holes Thursday for a 7-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead in the American Express Championship.

Asked which was more important, Woods chose an individual title and the $1 million check over a team victory and a 14-inch gold chalice.

“Why? I can think of a million reasons,” Woods said.

Woods has never had much success in the Ryder Cup, going 3-6-1.

And he made it clear after setting his bogey-free 65 at Mount Juliet that his focus is squarely on winning his sixth tournament of the year, and a World Golf Championship event for the fourth straight season.

“This is a big event. These are the best players in the world,” he said. “You’re playing stroke play on a great golf course. That’s pretty important. I’m not saying the Ryder is not important. It’s a completely different animal.”

David Toms and Steve Lowery were at 66, while Mike Weir, Vijay Singh and Retief Goosen were among those at 65.