![\"6f955c068ff8a9cb1ec631425f8a325c\"](\"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/6f955c068ff8a9cb1ec631425f8a325c.jpeg\")
U.S. Team Captain Tiger Woods has announced Fred Couples, Zach Johnson and Steve Stricker as three of his captain\u2019s assistants for the 2019 Presidents Cup, which will return to The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia for a third time from December 9-15, 2019. Woods has the option to name one final assistant prior to the competition.<\/p>\n
Couples led the U.S. Team as captain three consecutive times (2009, 2011, 2013) and is set to serve as a captain\u2019s assistant for a third time after being tabbed by captains Jay Haas and Sticker in 2015 and 2017, respectively. Woods and Couples were Presidents Cup teammates in 1998 and 2005 and partnered up in Woods\u2019 first-ever match where the two defeated Ernie Els and Vijay Singh, 5 and 4, at Royal Melbourne.<\/p>\n
Woods competed on each team that Couples captained, including the 2011 event at Royal Melbourne where Woods was a captain\u2019s pick. The two were both captain\u2019s assistants for Stricker in 2017 at Liberty National.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve enjoyed being a captain\u2019s assistant for the past two Presidents Cups, and to support Tiger in his first captaincy is going to be a very special experience,\u201d Couples said. \u201cPlus, to return to one of my favorite venues, Royal Melbourne, is going to be a real treat. The fans in Australia really know their golf and create an unbelievable atmosphere for the players, so I\u2019m excited to return and help this team win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Couples is a four-time Presidents Cup participant (1994, 1996, 1998, 2005) with an overall record of 9-5-2. He helped lead the U.S. Team to victory as a player in the first two editions of the Presidents Cup in 1994 and 1996, where Couples combined for a 6-1-0 record at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.<\/p>\n
\u201cFreddie and I go way back in the Presidents Cup,\u201d Woods said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re basically coming full circle at Royal Melbourne. He and I teamed up in one of our matches in \u201998, I was a captain\u2019s pick in \u201811 and now we get to return there as two leaders of this team. We\u2019re going to have some fun, but we\u2019re there to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson will join the U.S. Team as a captain\u2019s assistant for the first time with four Presidents Cup appearances of his own (2007, 2009, 2013, 2015); he was a teammate of Woods in the 2007, 2009 and 2013 events. Johnson owns an overall Presidents Cup record of 10-6-1 and delivered his most impressive performance in 2015 with a 3-0-1 record, which included two victorious Four-ball matches with partner Phil Mickelson and a Singles win over International Team stalwart Jason Day.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be named a captain\u2019s assistant in the Presidents Cup for the first time is a real honor,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cHaving competed with Tiger in the Presidents Cup in the past, I\u2019ve always admired the pride he takes in these team events. I\u2019m thrilled he\u2019s chosen to trust me with this important role, and I look forward to doing my part to help the team succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson is a 12-time PGA TOUR winner with his last victory coming at the 2015 Open Championship at St. Andrews.<\/p>\n
\u201cZach brings a lot of passion and energy to the team,\u201d Woods said. \u201cHe\u2019s so well respected among his peers and we\u2019ve grown close on Tour throughout our careers. I value his advice, and he can help me make important decisions during the week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fresh off captaining the victorious 2017 U.S. Presidents Cup Team at Liberty National, Stricker will join Woods in Australia for his second stint as a Presidents Cup captain\u2019s assistant (2015) after he selected Woods as an assistant in 2017. A five-time Presidents Cup competitor (1996, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013), Stricker boasts a 14-10 record and finished with a 2-2 record the last time the Presidents Cup was played at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in 2011.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t say enough about the opportunity to serve as an assistant for Tiger\u2019s first captaincy,\u201d Stricker said. \u201cTiger was such a valuable member of our team in 2017 and I\u2019m humbled that he sees me as an asset to the 2019 team. I look forward to helping him in any way he may need with his captaincy just like he helped me in 2017.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stricker and Woods were on the same Presidents Cup team four times (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013) and accumulated four total points as partners. All four points were earned in the 2009 Presidents Cup at TPC Harding Park, where Stricker and Woods became the first-ever partnership to win four points in a single Presidents Cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cStricks was an incredible leader in 2017 and I took a lot away from the way he served as captain that I hope to emulate in Melbourne,\u201d Woods said. \u201cWe have always shared a high level of trust and mutual respect, which will be important in helping us guide this team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stricker, 51, owns 12 PGA TOUR titles and was a three-time winner on the PGA TOUR Champions in 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
U.S. Team Captain Tiger Woods has announced Fred Couples, Zach Johnson and Steve Stricker as three of his captain\u2019s assistants for the 2019 Presidents Cup, which will return to The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia for a third time from December 9-15, 2019. Woods has the option to name one final assistant prior to the competition. Couples led the U.S. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36609,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf-golf"],"yoast_head":"\n