Odds Say Tiger Woods Will Not Pick Himself for Presidents Cup
- Automatic qualifying for the Presidents Cup closed Sunday at the end of the BMW Championship
- Tiger Woods is the captain of Team USA and will select 4 other golfers to join the team
- After finishing 13th in the points standings it’s reasonable that Woods could select himself to be a member of the team that will compete in Australia this December
Tiger Woods has a difficult decision to make and we can’t blame him for being a little bit biased.
For the upcoming Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, the Team USA captain needs to decide if he’ll be playing as well as coaching. He was not one of the 8 golfers to automatically qualify but could still make the team if he chooses himself as a Captain’s pick.
Will Tiger Woods Pick Himself For The Presidents Cup?
| Will Tiger Pick Himself? | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | +150 |
| No | -180 |
*Odds taken 8/19/19
The eight golfers to automatically qualify for Team USA were Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Webb Simpson, Matt Kuchar and Bryson DeChambeau. I think there is great value in betting that Tiger will indeed select himself for the team and here’s why.
For Captain @TigerWoods pic.twitter.com/l9dZiXeC7a
— Presidents Cup (@PresidentsCup) August 18, 2019
Two Sure Locks Will Leave Just Two Positions Free
Looking at the list of golfers who did not automatically qualify there are only two names you can almost guarantee will be selected. Rickie Fowler finished 11th in points and will surely be part of the team. Tony Finau finished 9th, one position back of the top 8, and will likely join Fowler and the others wearing Red, White & Blue in Australia.
Roll the tape. The top 8 in the U.S. Team standings have auto-qualified for the @PresidentsCup. pic.twitter.com/6bYJ3vA06Q
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 19, 2019
Other players you’d normally believe to be sure things for the team did not have seasons worthy of being selected. While Woods could reach down the list and pick players like Phil Mickelson who was 16th in the standings or Jordan Spieth who was 27th, their poor play could open the door.
Standings Show Woods Deserves To Be Chosen
This is the first time Tiger has been a captain which leaves him the tough decision, but if healthy it’s clear he should be playing in this golf competition. 12 players are chosen and he finished 13th in the standings. While you could argue if you just took the top 12 he’d finish on the outside looking in, I believe there is one player in particular ahead of him that needs to be avoided in Patrick Reed.
Reed has been a lightning rod for controversy in the past with Team USA and with him finishing 12th in the standings there would be no justification needed if he were left home. Assuming Tiger does the whole team a favor and leaves Reed back in the States, he would in fact be the next most deserving player to tee it up.
Woods Wouldn’t Be The First Playing Captain
One other important thing to note here is that Hale Irwin played was the Team USA captain back in 1994. If Irwin could do it why not Tiger? Woods has been non-commital but I’m very comfortable betting on him to be a captain’s pick, especially when you consider the +150 price.
PICK: Yes (+150)
Ryan has been working at TSN for over eleven years, and is now a lead writer and content producer at That's Hockey. Over the years, he's launched and hosted TSN's first NCAAF podcast, The College Football Show, and been featured on the likes of TSN 1050, Sportscentre, and That's Hockey 2Nite.
