Tiger Woods may have already named himself as playing captain for the Presidents Cup

Tiger Woods won’t make his official captain’s picks for the 2019 Presidents Cup until November 4th, but he might have let his first one out on Friday.

Tiger Woods is an expert at dealing with the media. In a lot of ways he always has been, with his perfectly crafted public image beginning at the age of two, and somehow improving in the years since injury and personal issues began to take their toll on his career.

Knowing that, we shouldn’t really be surprised when the guy decides to have a little fun through those of us who are better with a keyboard than a 9-iron. Tiger’s 2019 PGA TOUR campaign came to an end at the BMW Championship, and now his focus turns to a winter schedule that includes the new ZOZO Championship in Japan (along with a rumored big-time skins event) and, of course, the Presidents Cup, where he’ll act as captain for Team USA.

Let me clarify – he’ll definitely be the captain for the American team at Royal Melbourne. Speculation is running wild about whether or not Woods will name himself as a playing captain following a difficult stretch of golf following his incredible run to the Masters championship back in April.

Woods knows this, and he took a chance to add some fuel to that fire on Tuesday, in his most recent Presidents Cup blog. Of course, he also might have shut down the “speculation” entirely, and instead started a massive debate two months early. It’s a lot of good stuff, hyping up the talent that Team USA has and the quality of Royal Melbourne. But check out how he signed off:

"The guys will thoroughly enjoy the fact that the ball runs. It’ll move on the fairways and it’ll move on the greens. Some of the guys who have played events in the Sandbelt in the past will tell you it’s one of the best collections of golf courses on the planet. It’s really a unique experience and some of the greatest golf you play.I can’t wait to feel the atmosphere at Royal Melbourne. Melbourne is one of the greatest sporting cities in the world and I know their fans will turn out to watch another great Presidents Cup. If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, make sure you head to PresidentsCup.com.Till next time.Tiger WoodsU.S. Team Captain Playing CaptainMore from Pro Golf NowGolf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning dealFantasy Golf: Grant Thornton Invitational DFS Player SelectionsBrutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at ConcessionFantasy Golf: An Early Look at the 2024 Masters Tournament"

I’m no mind reader, but I have to imagine that we’ve got our decision, and Tiger Woods is planning on some double duty at the Presidents Cup this December. Considering that most of us (okay, basically everyone) believed he could qualify for the team on points, his inclusion isn’t the angle here. His apparent decision to broadcast his first captain’s pick nearly two months early is.

There’s a ton of talent left for Tiger to choose from over the coming weeks. U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland narrowly missed automatic qualification, as did stars like Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed and team stalwart/social media icon Phil Mickelson.

If Woods indeed does make his self-selection official in two months’ time, he’ll be the first playing captain since the 1994 Presidents Cup, when Hale Irwin went 2-1 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia. One of Irwin’s last picks for the team? A young Mickelson, who made his first international team and hasn’t missed one since. Phil insists he’s not done competing at the top levels of the game, but as he nears 50, this could be one of his last runs as a player, before what’s sure to be several captaincies.

The other interesting aspect of this is how Woods has come to this decision. When he was named captain in March of 2018, he hadn’t won in five years. He’s come a long way since then, but also has had his share of struggles. He indicated back then that if he were to name himself as a player, it wouldn’t be a unilateral call, but rather “a collaborative effort, what is best for the team.”

If the Tiger Woods from early 2019 shows up, it’s obviously the right call. It didn’t look that way late in the year, but he can still be a major factor in his American team winning yet another Presidents Cup championship.