LOS ANGELES – Tiger Woods on Tuesday at least left open the possibility that he could be a one-and-done Presidents Cup captain.
In his pre-tournament news conference at the Genesis Invitational, Woods was asked if he’d made a decision on another captaincy for the 2021 competition at Quail Hollow. Last week, 2019 International captain Ernie Els decided that he won’t seek another captaincy in the wake of his team’s narrow loss in December at Royal Melbourne.
Woods said that he saw a “devastated” Els before the team charter left Melbourne, knowing that he “put everything he had” into the process, and that it was “tough to see” that he won’t lead the International squad again in fall 2021.
“I’m struggling with the same issues,” Woods said Tuesday. “As an American, we have two Cups that we’re involved in, not just every other year, where the Internationals are the European team. So the responsibilities on an American are a little bit more.”
Woods was masterful at Royal Melbourne, going 3-0 as a playing captain and sparking the Americans to a come-from-behind victory. Woods has hinted on more than one occasion the toll of the dual responsibilities, saying last month at Torrey Pines that during the holidays he was “a little bit fried physically, mentally, emotionally.”
Woods also was noncommittal when asked about his upcoming schedule, namely next week’s WGC-Mexico Championship.
“Don’t know yet,” when asked whether he would tee it up next week in the first World Golf Championships event of 2020.
Last year, Woods waited until the week of the Genesis to announce his Mexico commitment. (He went on to tie for 10th.) Woods has until Friday to sign up for the limited-field, no-cut event.