Woods praised as unifying captain
With an unblemished 3-0-0 record this week there was no better player at the Presidents Cup than US captain Tiger Woods, who proved that at 43 he remains the sport’s most dangerous competitor.
No longer the longest or strongest, Woods more than ever is a shotmaking artist and he painted the Royal Melbourne canvas to perfection.
He was at home on a course he describes as a “combo platter”, with elements of a firm British links and greens as fast as Augusta National.
Right from the first hole on Thursday, when he used the contours of the green to punch a 55-yard pitch shot that deliciously trickled up to tap-in distance, it was clear the 15time Major champion was on his game, having missed the past two events due to back issues. His three wins at Royal
Melbourne took his career tally to 27, a Presidents Cup record.
“I’ve been out in this session before as leadoff batter,” he said. “I’m familiar with being out front and leading from there.”
As brilliantly as he played, however, it was his presence as captain that drove his players to victory this week.
Woods struck all the right notes as skipper in creating unity on the team before, during and after the event, deflecting all the praise after they came from behind to beat the Internationals 16-14 on Sunday.
With captaincy experience under his belt, Woods will most likely be the US Ryder Cup captain in 2026.
That is a long way off, but the lessons learnt in Melbourne will prove invaluable when the time comes. “It has been one of the more amazing challenges,” Woods said.