Abraham Ancer wasn’t cocky when he said he wanted Tiger Woods at Presidents Cup

Ancer, a rookie for captain Ernie Els’ team, said his tone when talking about playing Tiger Woods was never meant to be challenging.

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“Abe wanted it, he got it.”

The above quote from U.S. playing captain Tiger Woods has made the rounds on social media after the 15-time major champion propelled his team to victory after winning the first match of the day against Abraham Ancer during Sunday’s Presidents Cup singles matches at Royal Melbourne.

Golf fans have mocked the 28-year-old for poking the bear at last month’s Mayakoba Golf Classic, where Ancer said: “I would like to play against Tiger (Woods), but the truth is that our objective is to do everything we can to win. Winning a match in the singles would be very special, so we need to try to get the cup.”

That quote led to the jab from Woods in the victory press conference, but Ancer has added some context to the situation after losing to Woods, 3 and 2.

“When they asked me that at Mayakoba first of all, that question was in Spanish, so the tone when I said it, it was never like cocky or challenging or anything like that,” said Ancer. “At the moment I thought it would be a great experience, which it was. No matter what, with the outcome of the match, I would have gained a lot. I would have become a better player just from being in that situation.”

He added Sunday after the Internationals defeat, “I’ve got a lot of grief from people, like, are you kidding me, I never like said it in a competitive way or talky way. I just thought the situation would make me a better player.”

Ancer, a rookie this week for International captain Ernie Els, had a stellar debut in the biennial competition, earning a 3-1-1 record. The rising star may just be a thorn in the side of U.S. teams for years to come.

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