Tiger targeting glorious end to his stellar year

In years to come, linguists could well choose to reword the old adage "Rising from the ashes like a phoenix", replacing the name of the mythological bird with a certain legendary golfer. That will be especially valid if Tiger Woods puts an exclamation point to his amazing 2019 by leading the United States to victory at next month's Presidents Cup.

Woods plans to head into the holiday season on another high note by becoming only the second playing captain to triumph in the biennial competition, which tees off in Melbourne on Dec 9, against the International Team, led by Ernie Els.

Over the past 12 months, Woods, who turns 44 at the end of the year, has continued to defy the doubters in his battle with career-threatening injuries, producing two remarkable wins for the ages. First, there was a 15th major victory at the Masters in April, and then a record-tying 82nd PGA Tour triumph at the ZoZo Championship in Japan in late October.