Woods, Els captains for Presidents Cup
Tiger Woods and Ernie Els are the next Presidents Cup captains for the 2019 matches in Australia.
Still to be determined is if one of them plays. Woods and Els have each played in the Presidents Cup eight times and served as assistants. Els will be 50 when the matches are played in mid-December next year, the latest the Presidents Cup has ever been staged. Coming off his fourth back surgery, Woods took a big step in his comeback when he finished one shot behind at the Valspar Championship.
“I would like to get to a point where I would have to make that decision, get to where I’m playing well enough where I couldmake the team on points,” Woods said. “But I wouldn’t want to have the conversation and go, ‘Self.’ And so let’s just see how it progresses.” TIGER BACK AT FAMILIAR TRACK >> Woods’ next stop on his remarkable road to recovery from four years’ worth of back trouble is the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the tournament he has won a record eight times on a course that feels comfortable to him. Marc Leishman is the defending champion, getting up-anddown with a 45-yard pitch shot that rolled out to 3 feet for par on the final hole.
WhenWoodswon in 2013 by two shots over Justin Rose, the victory returned him to No. 1 in the world. Now he is at No. 149, which sounds good only when considering that he was No. 1,199 five tournaments ago. Las Vegas thinks so highly of Woods, especially after his runner-up finish at the Valspar Championship, that the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook has him favored at 6-1 to win at Bay Hill.
ELS, FURYK GIVEN EXEMPTIONSTOU.S. OPEN>> Els and Jim Furyk have received a special exemption to play in the U. S. Open this year at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island, New York. Els is a two-time U.S. Open champion who would have faced qualifying because his fiveyear exemption from winning the 2012 British Open ran out last year. Els won the U.S. Open at Oakmont in 1994 and at Congressional in 1997. This will be his 29th consecutive U.S. Open.
Furyk won the 2003 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields. HEALTHY WIE BACK HAVING FUN >> Michelle Wie is trying to have fun and stay healthy.
“My goal is to play the whole year and not to take an extended break during the season,” Wie said before this week’s Bank of Hope Founders Cup in Phoenix. “That would be my whole goal. Keep my organs in my body.”
Organs? Yep, last August a week after helping the U. S. win the Solheim Cup she had her appendix removed after being stricken before the final round of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.
She has recently fought arthritis in her hands, first with cortisone and now with collagen injections. She also is off to a fast start this season, winning the HSBC Women’s World Championship two weeks ago in Singapore for her fifth career victory and first since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.
SERGIO, WIFE WELCOME BABY GIRL >> Sergio Garcia now hasmore than a green jacket to remind him of his victory at the Masters. He has a daughter. Garcia’s wife, Angela, gave birth to a girl Wednesday in Texas. They named her Azalea Adele.
Augusta National is known for its spring beauty, particularly the azaleas. One of the more pivotal moments in his victory last year was at the 13th hole named “Azaleas” because of its 1,300 bushes on the par 5 when Garcia hooked his tee shot beyond the hazard, took a penalty drop, chipped out and still managed to save par and not lose any ground. He followed with a birdie and an eagle and won a playoff over Justin Rose.