Named a Presidents Cup captain in March 2018 while he was recovering from a fourth surgery on his lower back, Tiger Woods watched the last playing of the tournament with an earpiece and a radio.
This year, he’ll be playing.
In an unprecedented move, Woods used one of his wildcard selections to put himself on the 12-man Presidents Cup roster which will compete from December 12 to 15 at Royal Melbourne.
The 43-year-old is the second playing captain in the Presidents Cup. Hale Irwin, who played in the inaugural matches in 1994 after he qualified for the team, was the first.
Since Woods has won three times since being introduced as a captain in 2018, it was largely expected that he’d be putting himself on the team.
“The players, they wanted me to play in the event,” Woods said during a news conference. “It’s going to be difficult, but I also have three amazing assistants in Fred [Couples], Stricks [Steve Stricker] and Zach [Johnson]. So that helps a lot. Two guys who have won Presidents Cups [as captains] and Zach who will be a future captain. Three great minds to help me when I’m playing. With the new rules, I just have to play one match prior to the singles. Two matches minimum. It could be more. It’s about me understanding the guys, and understanding the golf course as well.”
Joining Woods on the roster as wildcard selections are Tony Finau, Gary Woodland and Patrick Reed. Woods did not pick Phil Mickelson, meaning the 49-year-old will miss his first U.S. team competition — Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup — since his first international appearance for the U.S. in 1994.
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