It seems Playing-Captain is still actually a thing.
21 NOV 2019
We’re about to find out.
The status of playing-captain has always hung around. It’s been there on the sidelines and referenced here and there because it’s an easy sound-bite leading into the Captain’s pick portion of Presidents and Ryder Cups.
All captains are, by definition, great players. But they’re past their best-before date and settled into the clip-board phase of their main career as they begin to notice what the Champions Tour schedule looks like in coming years.
So the “will he pick himself” angle has been a cute story for a long time but it has come to reality with Tiger. It just seems a bit odd though.
We’ve all seen too many post-event interviews over the years with past captains talking about the demands, time, strain, emotional investment and media requirements etc. Can a Captain really add playing in 4 matches to his to-do list?
TBD.
Hopefully we see a great event and we watch assistant Captains Steve Stricker and Fred Couples and Zach Johnson step up. And maybe this unique angle delivers some fascinating new story lines and challenges that heighten the match – the Presidents Cup could use it.
If anyone was going to do it and if anyone can do it, it’s Tiger. So let’s watch and see.
For another good article from the Golf Channel on Tiger heading into the Presidents Cup, click here.