Dustin Johnson excited to battle Tiger Woods, but not just yet

A fully firing Tiger Woods is something that excites US Ryder Cup teammate Dustin Johnson.

Dustin Johnson (left) and Tiger Woods

Dustin Johnson is excited by the prospect of battling Tiger Woods in top form, but is delighted to be on his team at the Ryder Cup this week.

Woods ended a five-year wait to win on the PGA Tour by winning in Atlanta last weekend after a comeback season that has seen him come close on several occasions.

Before the Tour Championship, Johnson – who returned to world number one – was set to be Team USA's most accomplished golfer in the last 10 years with 19 victories since 2008.

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Woods' victory saw him tie that haul over the past decade, but Johnson is excited to see the 14-time major winner competing at the top again.

"I'm glad to see it, and I want to beat him at his best, and I feel like right now, he's starting to get back to where he's very good," he said. 

"So for me, especially when I first came out on Tour, I mean, that was a time when he was playing his best. To see him get back there after quite a while off I think is very impressive, and I'm glad to see it.  I'm glad he's on my team this week, too."

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Much has been made of the fact that the United States have not won on European soil since 1993, but Johnson believes that fact is immaterial.

"I mean, for me, that's not really the motivation. I don't really need any motivation. I'm coming here. I'm playing golf; I'm representing my country because I want to win," he added.

"I'm not coming over here just to play. I think all the guys on the team feel that way. We've got a really good group of guys. We're all very close. I feel like we've got a very strong team."

"We're coming over here to compete, and I feel like it's going to be a really good match like it has the past few years, or the past few Ryder Cups; it's going to come down to the singles matches and I feel like it's going to be fairly close coming into Sunday and coming down to the last few matches. "

"That's kind of been the trend the last few Ryder Cups or the ones I've played on. I wouldn't expect anything less, and I think they are going to fight hard just like we are. I'm looking forward to it."

"I think it's going to be a great week for golf, great week for all the spectators, and you know, you're going to see some good matches."