BY AAGD STAFF
Word being whispered around the green is that (if he fails to qualify) Tiger Woods may consider selecting himself as a playing captain for next year’s Presidents Cup in Australia.
The 42-year-old was named the captain of the U.S. Team last spring for the biennial event that is being played next year, on December 12-15, 2019, at Royal Melbourne Golf Club. Back then, Woods was recovering from back fusion surgery and working his comeback to the game. Now, over recent months, he has regained his playing confidence, taking out the TOUR Championship for an 80th career PGA TOUR title, and fans are anxious to see if he would become only the second playing captain in the history of the President’s Cup since Hale Irwin (1994).
During a reconnaissance mission to Royal Melbourne this week, Woods said “I’m part of the team either way, okay.”
“I want to compete. I want to play. Being a vice captain the last couple years, you realize you really don’t control the play. You have to sit back and watch. And as a player and as a competitor, you want to always be in control and be able to compete and play.”
Since there are 8 spots that automatically go to golfers who qualify, and Woods currently placing 16th on the list, gaining a position on the playing field could be determined by one of the four captains’ picks.
The Power of New rules
A new rule may give Woods the opportunity he seeks, as he only needs to play one session prior to singles, then pick and hide himself, if he chooses to do so. “I’m going to have to defer a lot of information to my vice captains and get a lot of their opinions and also my team, whether or not I can play and do both roles.”
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“After the TOUR Championship, we’ll have our top eight guys, and hopefully I’ll be part of the top eight. If not, then myself and my vice captains are going to have to figure out – as well as the other top eight players – who are the next four guys that will be best served to be part of this team, to come down here and compete,” he said. Keep in mind that the only outright win by the International Team was back in 1998. A lot has changed with Woods physically since then and years gone by can pack on a lot of unexpected situations. Whether or not the prestigious Royal Melbourne golf course will play much like has in previous President’s Cups held there (1998, 2011) is yet to be seen.
“The way the golf course is set up and the way it’s played, it’s very similar to what we face at an Open Championship, so I think guys who play The Open Championship venues well are going to be successful here at Royal,” the three-time Open Championship winner said.
“It is one of the greatest golf courses in all of the world. The layout is fantastic. It’s very tough. It’s tricky. They’ve lengthened a couple of the holes. But nothing major. Normally over the course of time, a lot of golf courses get modernized, get lengthened, change different angles, add bunkers, whatever it may be, but they haven’t done that at Royal. It’s the same golf course.”
But Woods has already shared that he is reducing his future playing schedule, so making the team without the need for a pick could be tough for him. Last Week’s Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas completed his 2018 playing commitments, and he seems relieved that the year is coming to an end.
“I won’t be playing as much as I did last year. … That was just too much for my body to handle and I was not physically prepared for it,” Woods said.
“I hadn’t trained for that, so we’re going to make some adjustments for next year.
