PICK ME, PICK ME!
Tiger doesn’t rule out selecting himself for Prez Cup team
Tiger Woods, while saddened to miss out on a chance to defend his Tour Championship title this week, might not be done with significant events this year.
As captain of the U.S. Presidents Cup team for the matches scheduled for Dec. 12-15 in Melbourne, Australia, Woods will select four players to join the squad’s eight automatic qualifiers.
And he isn’t prepared to rule himself out as a one of his own captain’s picks.
“That’s up to myself and the vice captains and eight guys (already on the team),” Woods told reporters on Monday. “I’m going to keep an open line of communication with my players and my vice captains to find the four guys that they want to go down there with and who best fits the team.”
Woods has plenty of time to assess his options — and refine his play — will the captain’s picks not due to be made until early November.
“I’ll be playing with a lot of the guys (in Florida in the coming weeks),” Woods said. “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.”
Woods also is slated to play in the inaugural Zozo Championship, near Tokyo, from Oct. 24-27.
The eight players locked into the U.S. Presidents Cup team are Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Webb Simpson, Matt Kuchar and Bryson DeChambeau.
Other U.S. players who missed the top eight and are likely to be considered for a captain’s pick by Woods are Tony Finau (ninth), Gary Woodland (10th), Rickie Fowler (11th), Patrick Reed (12th), Phil Mickelson (16th) and Jordan Spieth (27th).
As for the PGA Tour season that will conclude this week, Woods expressed regret at failing to qualify for the finale at East Lake in Atlanta. He tied for 37th on Sunday in the BMW Championship, ending the weekend 42nd in the FedEx Cup point standings. Only the top 30 advance to the Tour Championship.
Last year, Woods won the Atlanta event by two strokes over Billy Horschel. He rode the momentum from that victory, his first since 2013, to capture the Masters in April, his first major title since 2008.
“It was disappointing not to make it (to East Lake), just the fact that last year culminated in a great win, and it turned into what happened, I’m sure, at Augusta ... I had come close a couple times and wasn’t able to take it over the line, and finally I was able to do that ... So yeah, it is frustrating. It is disappointing.”