Picture this Australian Open field next year: Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler, among a host of other international stars inside the world’s Top-50 rankings.

That’s the mouth-watering scenario Australian Open promoters are facing after new USA Team Captain Tiger Woods declared he wants his players tuned up and ready to go at next year’s showpiece event at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

The 14-time Major winner could headline an army of American superstars taking aim at the Stonehaven Cup in Sydney if he decides to become just the second playing captain in the event’s history. That is, of course, if he hasn’t already automatically qualified via America’s Presidents Cup rankings.

While dates for the 2019 Australian Open at The Australian Golf Club have not been finalised, the national championship was held the week before the 1998 and 2011 Presidents Cups, which were both held at Royal Melbourne.

In his previous Australian Open appearance in 2011, Woods finished third behind winner Greg Chalmers and was joined in the field at The Lakes by five American teammates, including Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson.

The revitalised Woods believes it played a major role in America’s domination of the International Team and said he would give the green light to a similar preparation next year.

“Yeah if they want to [play the Australian Open]; whatever is best for their game,” Woods told AAP.

“I just want them not to be like most of our team in 1998, when the Tour Championship ended in early November and the guys didn’t play for a month,” he added, referring to the fact that only two American team members contested the Australian Open at Royal Adelaide before the Internationals won their only Presidents Cup title the following week.

“They took some time off [after] a long season and we weren’t ready as a team when we went down there in ’98,” he said. “But we were ready in 2011 and the guys responded and played well, so hopefully that’ll be the case [next year].”

Woods told AAP the biggest obstacle to playing the Australian Open is his foundation’s Hero World Challenge event, which is typically held around the same time and attracts the big names.

“We’re still trying to figure out the dates of the Hero,” Woods said. “Once it’s finalised, I can start making plans for which way we are going to go [with the Australian Open] or if I’ll encourage guys to go.”

Tiger’s comments couldn’t come at a better time for Australian Open promoters, who are understood to be putting feelers out for a new naming-rights sponsor after reports emerged that long-time partner Emirates was set to cut ties with the tournament, along with several other sporting events.

With Tiger and the best players America can muster heading Down Under, that search could get a little easier in the coming months.