Thomastown, Ireland ? Tiger Woods made headlines by dismissing the Ryder Cup as less meaningful than winning an individual tournament.

Turns out he’s not the only American who feels that way.

Woods received plenty of support from his Ryder Cup captain and teammates, who weren’t surprised by his comments or worried about his intensity for next week’s matches.

“We know Tiger. Whenever he plays, he goes to win,” captain Curtis Strange said.

A Ryder Cup that has been lacking in hype because of the one-year delay has come to life this week, especially when Woods said he could think of “a million reasons” the $1 million prize why he would rather win the American Express Championship than the Ryder Cup.

If that sounds selfish, there’s a reason.

“Golf is an individual sport,” Phil Mickelson said. “We’ve played it as individuals our entire life. To think of it as a team sport once every year is a bit unrealistic. I understand what he’s saying.”

Ditto for Tom Lehman, who didn’t make the team this year but remains as passionate about the Ryder Cup as anyone.

“That’s a perfectly acceptable thing to say,” Lehman said. “When people talk about a player, whether he was a great player or a superstar, they don’t talk about the number of Ryder Cup victories you have. They talk about the number of majors you’ve won, or the big tournaments. That’s what you’re measured by. I think I’d say the same thing.”