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.

After unsurprisingly picking himself for the Presidents Cup, Woods now has a golden opportunity to put the cherry on the cake and conclude a stirring 2019.

It was at the 2017 Presidents Cup that a downcast Woods, then a captain's assistant, admitted that he might never play competitive golf again following a fourth back surgery.

"I don't know what my future holds for me," he said at Liberty National in New Jersey.

But like all great sporting comebacks, Woods climbed and conquered his mountain, winning the 2018 Tour Championship before producing an improbable triumph at Augusta National seven months later.

"I had serious doubts after what transpired a couple years ago. I could barely walk. I couldn't sit. Couldn't lay down. Luckily I had the procedure on my back, which gave me a chance at having a normal life," he said.

"But then all of a sudden, I realized I could actually swing a golf club again, I felt if I could somehow piece this together that I still had the hands to do it. The body's not the same as it was a long time ago, but I still have good hands."

He limited himself to six more tournaments after his Masters coronation and when he failed to progress into the FedExCup season-finale at August's Tour Championship, he revealed that he had undergone more surgery to repair cartilage damage in his left knee.

Some wondered if this was yet another major setback, but in his return to tournament play some two months later in Japan, Woods was back to his best, rewriting history along the way at the ZoZo Championship where he won by three strokes ahead of Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama.

"It's a big number," said Woods after recording his 82nd win. "I've been very fortunate to have had the career I've had so far. To have won this tournament in Japan, it's just so fitting because I've always been a global player.

"I didn't really know that I would come back and play at this level. Swing-wise, my speed started coming back. Ironically, my back has been less sore because of it. I've been able to rotate better, but still, it's always going to be sore but it's just less sore."

US Open champion Gary Woodland, who had a front-row seat playing alongside Woods in the final two rounds in Japan, tipped his cap to the icon and predicted the world will see more amazing feats from Woods.

"Eight-two's just a crazy number. You look at the guys who have won 10 times and it's pretty special, let alone to come out here and win 82 times," said Woodland, who will make his debut in the Presidents Cup as one of Woods' picks.

"To battle through the injuries he's dealt with, gosh, he's young and he's playing unbelievable. The ball-striking exhibition I've seen the last two days is a joke. I don't see him stopping anytime soon. I think there's a lot more in store."

Next up for Woods is attempting to extend US dominance in the Presidents Cup, which the Americans have won for the last seven editions. At Royal Melbourne, site of the US Team's lone defeat in 1998, Woods will be assisted by Fred Couples, Zach Johnson and Steve Stricker.

The current world No 7 acknowledged that leading as a playing captain will present different challenges, but he is confident of emulating Hale Irwin's victorious feat in 1994.

"It's an honor and a tremendous responsibility to be able to be captain and represent our country. We're going to have a pretty solid team going down there against the Internationals," said Woods.

"On paper, we certainly have the advantage in the world rankings. When it comes right down to it, like I told the guys, when you start out on Thursday, it's 0-0. We have to go out and win this cup. Doesn't matter what the world ranking is. You have to go and beat the other guys, and that's what we're going to try and do."

The writer is a senior director of communications for the PGA Tour. He can be reached at Chuah-ChooChiang@pgatourintl.com.my