Tiger will make ultimate call on playing Presidents Cup
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Eight automatic qualifiers for U.S. Presidents Cup team
U.S. Captain Tiger Woods says he will consult his assistants and players, but ultimately the decision on whether he picks himself for the Presidents Cup will fall on his own shoulders.
Woods failed to make the team as one of the top eight automatic qualifiers for the biennial teams event that will be held at Royal Melbourne in Australia on Dec. 12-15, but the veteran still has four captains picks up his sleeve.
“My job as the captain is to put together the best team possible and try and put together the best 12 guys,” Woods said via teleconference on Monday.
“That's what I'm trying to do. We'll be going through the whole process of having open communication with our top eight guys and my vice captains.
“That is something that we will certainly talk about, whether I should play or not play. Ultimately it's going to be my call whether I do play or not as the captain. But I want to have all of their opinions before that decision is made.”
The 43-year-old’s season ended this week at the BMW Championship after he failed to move into the top 30 players who qualified for the TOUR Championship, the tournament he famously won a year ago at East Lake Golf Club.
After winning the Masters in spectacular fashion in April, his 81st TOUR win and 15th major championship, Woods only played six more events this season. In those, he had one top 10, but missed two cuts and withdrew after one round of THE NORTHERN TRUST with an oblique strain.
As such the idea of Woods being a player in the Presidents Cup had cooled over the past few months. And while he says those wanting a pick should stay competitively sharp, Woods himself has only committed to one event in the fall portion of the new season, the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in Japan from Oct. 24-27. His picks are due a week later.
The only previous playing captain in Presidents Cup history was Hale Irwin in the inaugural event in 1994. Others in line for a pick include, but are not limited to Tony Finau, U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed, World Golf Championships – Dell Technologies Match Play winner Kevin Kisner, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth and young guns Collin Morikawa and Matthew Wolff.
The four selections will join Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Webb Simpson, Matt Kuchar and Bryson DeChambeau.
“We talked about how important it is to be committed to the team and to the event and to each other, and that means playing and being prepared,” Woods said.
“The only time that we have ever lost a Cup was in Australia (1998), and quite frankly, some of the guys didn't play or practice that much. It was our off-season, and we got beat pretty badly.
“It's something that I try to reinforce to the guys, that it is important to be solid, be fresh, and to be sharp because we're going overseas and we're playing against an amazing team, and it's on their soil. These guys are going to be tough to beat. So we're looking forward to the challenge.”
But what of his own schedule? Woods says his preparation will include copious practice and side games with other TOUR players who live in and around him in Florida.
“It's practicing, it's playing, it's staying sharp. Obviously I'm playing in Japan, and so that's going to help,” Woods said of his own preparation.
“It has to do with a lot of my competitions I'm going to have down here. I'll be playing with a lot of the guys here. They're going to be getting ready for some of the fall events, we'll have some matches, and that's always fun because we're able to talk trash and have a great time and try and get in one another's pockets.
“That will be something that I will definitely rely on, and obviously the event in Japan will be a big deal.”
The U.S. Team has a 10-1-1 record in the Presidents Cup, not losing since 1998 at Royal Melbourne. The International team already has four rookies in terms of team play from its eight automatic selections. Led by Ernie Els, the Internationals have bowed to use new tactics, based on analytics, to try to topple the U.S. juggernaut.
The last time the two teams met it was a 19-11 dismantling. The Cup was almost secured before Sunday singles. Everything points towards more U.S. dominance. Only Webb Simpson is without a win in 2019 from the U.S. team. Only C.T. Pan has a 2019 win from the Internationals.
But Woods won’t allow complacency. He hopes most of his team will play in the Hero World Challenge he hosts in the Bahamas the week prior before heading to Melbourne to further secure comradery and form.
“We could be (beaten), yes, in theory. But you have to look at the fact that it's played out there on the golf course, not on paper,” Woods said.
“I've been a part of some pretty amazing teams over the years. We had a pretty solid team going down to Australia in '98. We've had some pretty solid teams in Ryder Cups, as well, and I've been on the losing end of those. It's played out on the course. So that's something that I've told my players.”