Tiger finds his roar for Melbourne

WHEN US PGA Tour officials sounded out Tiger Woods about being the next Presidents Cup captain earlier this year, they didn’t know his playing comeback would be this good.

But the 14-time major winner, now 42, has returned so well he could potentially take to the fairways of Royal Melbourne next December as more than just the man in charge of picking who plays whom.

Woods and South African great Ernie Els will be confirmed as captains for the 2019 edition of the Presidents Cup when they come together for the announcement at Bay Hill in Orlando tonight.

The Presidents Cup is returning to Royal Melbourne next December, the third time the biennial event will be played at the famous sandbelt course.

In 2011 Woods, playing in Melbourne for a third straight summer after twice turning out in the Australian Masters, which he won in 2009, scored a vital Sunday point to help secure victory for his US team.

The years since have not all been good to Woods however. He has endured four back surgeries, and various offcourse issues too before embarking on another playing comeback this year.

His progression has continued to track upwards, faster than plenty predicted, and he finished tied for second at the Valspar Championship on the weekend. Now he returns to Bay Hill, where he has won eight times, with his playing resurgence hitting levels few expected.