Tiger Woods has already entertained the idea of player-assistant captain for this year’s Ryder Cup. The same could soon be said for the 2019 Presidents Cup, albeit without “assistant” in the title.
According to a Morning Read report, Woods and Ernie Els will be named captains for the 2019 Presidents Cup, held at Royal Melbourne Golf Club. The announcement is expected to be made Tuesday.
The duo famously duelled at the 2003 event in South Africa in a playoff, tying for three holes before darkness intervened and the match was called, with both teams agreeing to share the cup.
There has never been a playing captain in Presidents Cup history for the US. The last playing captain in Ryder Cup history was Arnold Palmer in the 1963 match at Atlanta Athletic Club. Palmer won four points in the American’s 23-9 victory.
The moves will hopefully inject some much-need vitality into the biennial competition. The US won the 2017 match 19-11, its seventh consecutive win. The Internationals have just one cup win since the event’s inception in 1994.