Tiger adds huge clout to US quest
TOUGH: INTERNATIONALS SEEK TO BREAK US TYRANNY
Melbourne
Abiennial tournament that has struggled for relevance under a heavy weight of American supremacy will roar back into life when Tiger Woods returns to the Presidents Cup as a playing captain at Royal Melbourne this week.
The 15-time Major champion missed the 2015 tournament and was a non-playing assistant two years ago when Steve Stricker’s United States steamrolled the Internationals 19-11 at Liberty National.
Woods, though, used one of his four captain’s picks on himself and will be front and centre at the famed sandbelt course, calling the shots in the locker room and out on the fairways as the visitors bid for an eighth straight title.
Now 43, Woods may not take a big playing load while juggling management duties but his presence is a bonanza for organisers and certain to bring huge crowds flooding to the usually sleepy bayside suburb of Black Rock.
It also spells trouble for an Internationals team short on quality and experience that appears illequipped to end the US tyranny.
With 10 Americans in the world’s top 20 compared to just Adam Scott for the Internationals, the US might have little need of a seasoned Presidents Cup campaigner to get the job done.
He played the course in 1998 when the US suffered their lone
Presidents Cup defeat and returned 13 years later to roll in the winning putt at the 2011 tournament.
“On paper, we certainly have the advantage in the world rankings,” Woods said last month.
“(But) when you start out on Thursday, it’s 0-0. We have to go out and win this Cup.”
Webb Simpson was also part of the 19-15 win in 2011 and can offer tips to his younger team-mates.
The youthful Internationals have seven debutants compared to five for the visitors and will be looking to fully exploit every advantage they can muster.
They will lean heavily on captain Ernie Els, who holds the course record at Royal Melbourne’s composite layout.