Andrew Coltart has admitted that playing against Tiger Woods in his only Ryder Cup match at Brookline was one of the most “intense” experiences of his career.
The Scot, now established as a respected commentator for Sky Sports, made his only appearance in the contest in the infamous “Battle of Brookline” in 1999, when the USA came from behind to snatch victory amid controversial scenes on the final day.
Coltart was selected as one of two wildcard picks by European captain Mark James, but he did not see any action over the first two days along with Jean van de Velde and Jarmo Sandelin.
The decision to bench three players until the singles looked justified as Europe opened up a commanding 10-6 lead, but several of James’ side looked fatigued on the final day as the hosts dominated the last session.
It was a bitter-sweet experience for Coltart, who insisted he bears no ill-feeling towards James as he reflected on the positives of being part of the Ryder Cup despite playing only 16 holes, going down 3&2 to Woods in the fifth match out on Sunday.
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“I remember getting back to the hotel on Saturday night, the singles draw was up on TV and that was when I found out I would be playing Tiger Woods,” said Coltart in an exclusive interview with GolfMagic.
“So you can only imagine how I felt. My first ever match in the Ryder Cup and I’m out against arguably the best player that’s ever lived. That was obviously quite a lot to deal with.
“Fortunately, I’d played with him in the last round of The Open earlier that year, and I’d played with him in a World Cup before, so at least I’d had a couple of experiences of being in the same group as Tiger.
“Sam Torrance was a vice captain, he came up to me in the hallway in typical Sam fashion. He was like, ‘look you can take him’. Sam’s point was that it was 18 holes, so it’s a completely different situation to trying to keep up with Tiger over four rounds.
“But it was very intense. You know the state of the game but you’re pushing all that kind of stuff to the back of your mind and you’re just trying to concentrate about how you’re going to get that little golf ball around the golf course.
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🚨🏆🇺🇸 #FLASHBACK — Tiger Woods won his singles match 3&2 over Andrew Coltart, helping propel the U.S. Ryder Cup team to victory during the “Battle at Brookline” in 1999.
pic.twitter.com/Z7ifomdQHA
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) August 27, 2025
“So all of a sudden, it ceases to be Tiger Woods and just becomes somebody else that’s out in the golf course with you and you’ve just got to try and beat that person. That was kind of how mentally I had to try and approach it, but it was pretty nerve-wracking.
“The first tee was the first big challenge, I was blowing out of every orifice at the time! I remember getting announced on the tee and I’m very aware that Tiger would be looking for any sign of weakness.
“I made sure to keep my arm up to acknowledge the crowd. The default position is to sort of shrink away at a time like that, so I made a conscious effort to make sure that didn’t happen.
“Then we went out and we played, we battled away, he took three holes off me and beat me 3&2.”
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Colin Montgomerie’s captaincy
The 1999 Ryder Cup was marred by the hostility of the home crowd, with Colin Montgomerie a particular target for abuse throughout a turbulent week near Boston.
“Obviously Monty had caught quite a lot of flack during that week, and we were very aware that relatives, friends and partners who were walking among the crowd were copping it as well,” Coltart added.
“But I was in my office, and you’ve got to shut a metaphorical door to that so it’s just white noise. Monty reacted a couple of times, but most of the time the players just had to get on with it.
“You know you’re up against a 13th man over there playing against the American crowd, and you know they can they can turn on you pretty sharpish.”
Coltart reiterated that he did not have any issues with James for not playing him in any of the foursomes or fourballs matches, although he did hint that some senior players were too intent on featuring in all five sessions.
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“There’s no ill-will towards Mark James from my point of view, none at all,” he said. “This event is not about egos, it’s about winning the Ryder Cup. I don’t agree that everybody should have a match before the singles, because if you’re doing that to to to satisfy somebody’s ego then that you’re doing it for completely the wrong reason.
“Sir Alex Ferguson would never play somebody because he was bitching in the corner and and didn’t get a chance to put his studs on. The gig we had was to take the Ryder Cup home, no matter what.
“I look at some experienced players who were slightly more interested in making sure they got five matches in, but they knew how difficult that is and the toll it would take.
“So one or two of those players should have said they should play four so they’d be fresher for the singles.”
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