Tiger Woods and Ernie Els named Presidents Cup captains for Melbourne 2019

When the Presidents Cup hits Melbourne in 2019 the teams will be spear-headed by two of the biggest competitors in the history of the event.

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Ernie Els and Tiger Woods were today officially named captains of the International and US Presidents Cup Teams to compete in Melbourne (December 9-15, 2019).

In a photo opportunity that saw both team captains at one stage actually holding a kangaroo each, much of the golf fan talk centered around Woods’ selection as a team captain given his recent return to form and the chance the 14-time major champion may indeed be a part of the team.

In addition to the announcement of the captains, Presidents Cup organisers also announced a couple of rules changes to the event. Players only need to play just once prior to the Sunday singles matches (it used to be twice) and the captains will now have four picks of their own after it was announced the top eight players in the standings will automatically qualify following the 2019 TOUR Championship.

Woods and Els have history at the Presidents Cup. In the closing stages of the 2003 Presidents Cup in South Africa, Els and Woods faced off in a sudden-death playoff to decide the winner with teams locked at 17 points apiece.

After three playoff holes with no winner and the light fading, a tense discussion took place between team captains Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus ultimately deciding that the event be declared a tie.

If you’re not familiar with the story, this is worth a watch.

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