Phil Mickelson and Miss America(?) Steal the Show at Pebble Beach

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ORLANDO, Fla. – Tiger Woods was named the next U.S. Presidents Cup Captain on Tuesday, just two days after his best PGA TOUR finish in nearly five years. The timing raises an obvious question. Has he thought about bringing his clubs to Royal Melbourne? It was the first inquiry he fielded from the media. Woods chuckled before giving a straightforward answer. “Yes, I have.� Next question. Woods’ quick success in this latest comeback at least makes the idea feasible. A lot could change over the next 639 days, but Woods has proven he’s capable of winning when he’s healthy. The 2019 Presidents Cup will be played in Australia on Dec. 12-15. He showed glimpses of his old self at last week’s Valspar Championship, where he finished one shot behind Paul Casey. Woods, 42, will be the youngest Captain in the Presidents Cup’s history and he’s shown that he can keep up with the kids on TOUR, ranking second in clubhead speed this season. The Captain’s role involves much more than making picks and setting lineups. Juggling those myriad duties while properly preparing to play an international competition is no easy task, but the improved infrastructure of the U.S. side could help Woods handle the dual roles. Woods could lean on experienced Captain’s Assistants like Fred Couples, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk and Davis Love III to lighten his load. “There’s a few people who carry enough weight and could focus enough, like Jack (Nicklaus) or Arnold (Palmer). I think Tiger is definitely in that group,� said two-time Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III. “If Davis Love is a playing Captain, guys would worry. If Tiger’s playing, they’re excited that we have him on our side. He’s going to win points and be a leader. “I think it will be the best thing ever for the Presidents Cup.� Like many good ideas, a Woods captaincy was first floated on a group text. This one was between recent U.S. captains. They told Woods that he would be on the short list for the next Presidents Cup captaincy. After some thought, Woods called PGA TOUR Commissioner Monahan to express his interest and asked if it would be possible to also play at Royal Melbourne. Monahan gave the only reasonable answer. “Yes.� Woods has played eight Presidents Cups. He’s holed the clinching putt three times (2009, ’11 and ’13). He has a 24-15-1 record. Only Phil Mickelson has won more matches. He has an affinity for Royal Melbourne, which was designed by the same man, Dr. Alister Mackenzie, who laid out his beloved Augusta National. Woods played the two previous Presidents Cups at Royal Melbourne. He went 2-3 both times, but won his singles match each year. The entire U.S. Team struggled at Royal Melbourne in 1998 as the Internationals scored their lone Presidents Cup victory. Thirteen years later, Woods holed the winning putt there. Woods would likely have to qualify for his own team. A format change for 2019 will make that task tougher, though. The top eight in the U.S. Team standings after the 2019 TOUR Championship will earn spots on the team. That’s two fewer spots than previous years. The number of automatic berths was reduced because of the lengthy interval between the TOUR Championship and Presidents Cup in mid-December. Woods will have four Captain’s Picks. He has the resume to support a selection, but he seemed hesitant to lobby himself for a pick. “I would like to get to a point where I wouldn’t have to make that decision, to where I’m playing well enough where I could make the team on points,� Woods said. A playing Captain is rare, but not unprecedented. Hale Irwin played both roles in 1994. He compiled a 2-1 record in the United States’ 20-12 victory at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Prince William County, Virginia. Irwin beat Robert Allenby, 1 up, in the first singles match of the final day. The inaugural Presidents Cup was announced on April 13, 1994, just five months before the competition. Irwin won the RBC Heritage that same week. He was 48 and it was his first PGA TOUR win in four years. He was named the U.S. Captain a few weeks later. He bumped Jay Haas from the final automatic spot on the team with a 10th-place finish at the last event of the qualifying period, the World Series of Golf at Firestone Country Club. Irwin used his two Captain’s Picks on Haas and Phil Mickelson. It was Mickelson’s first time representing the United States as a professional. He hasn’t missed a Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup since. Arnold Palmer was the last playing captain in Ryder Cup history. Palmer, then 34, led the U.S. to the second-largest winning margin in Ryder Cup history. He went 4-2 in his team’s 23-9 victory at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. The qualifying period for the 2019 Presidents Cup began at last year’s BMW Championship. Woods is 44th in the standings for his team. It’s too early to tell if he’ll be wearing two hats in Australia, though.  “That’s a bridge that’s a long way away from now to be crossing, but if it does come to that point, it won’t just be my decision,� Woods said. “It will be a collaborative effort, what is best for the team.� If Woods is playing well, there’s few things that could be better for the U.S. side.

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Editor’s note: Contributions can be made via GoFundMe at www.gofundme.com/jarrod-lyles-girls. These funds are intended to be rolled into a trust for Jarrod’s daughters, Lusi and Jemma. ST. LOUIS – Rickie Fowler had just shot a 5-under 65 to take the early lead at the 100th PGA Championship, but he bowed his head as his eyes welled with tears. Jason Day got so emotional he had to stop himself during his post-round press conference following his 3-under 67. It was that kind of day at Bellerive as players, fans and others here and around the world continued to react with condolences, donations and grief. Jarrod Lyle, the affable Australian golfer who won twice on the Web.com Tour on the way to an unlikely career on the PGA TOUR, died at age 36 on Wednesday after battling leukemia for half his life. “I was scripted to wear some sort of dark blue shirt,â€� said Fowler, who changed tops in honor of Lyle, known for his signature yellow bucket hat. “So luckily I had a version of yellowish. Yeah, it was tough news yesterday. So definitely happy that we could be here and supporting Jarrod. It’s been a tough few weeks, especially talking with guys that were also close with Jarrod.â€� Former PGA of America employee Erica Stoll, now married to Rory McIlroy, was among those who put together yellow ribbons in the media center Thursday morning. Lyle, who was first diagnosed at 17, left behind his wife, Briony, and two daughters, Lusi and Jemma. Players have reacted with donations and messages of support to the family, the current GoFundMe campaign continuing a fundraising effort that began this year as Lyle battled leukemia for the third time. The January for Jarrod campaign, through youcaring.com, included contributions from many players (Hideki Matsuyama, for instance, donated $50,000) and others in the golf world, as well as donations from the public, with the current total reaching beyond $267,000. The fundraising effort for the family ramped up with the news last week that Lyle’s body, ravaged by years of fighting the disease, was no longer responding to treatment and he would be going into hospice care at his home in Victoria. At last week’s Barracuda Championship, young fellow Australian pro Grant Booth won a $50,000 bonus for playing the 18th hole the best over the four days, a stipend that was to be split two ways, half going to Reno-area charities and half to a charity of Booth’s choice, the Lyle family. Earlier this week, Bryson DeChambeau won $25,000 for charity for winning the long-drive contest at Bellerive, and also directed the money to the Lyle family. “The story, it’s so sad,â€� DeChambeau said. “His kids are suffering, obviously. The whole family is. I thought it’d be the right thing to give it to Lusi and Jemma. They deserve that more than anything right now.â€�     The Tiger Woods Foundation announced a $10,000 contribution. Several others have stepped up anonymously. Donations continue to come in to the Lyle Children’s Family Trust. “I lived across the street from him when we first started out in Orlando,â€� said Day, among the numerous Australian golfers who were tight with Lyle. “He’s a good buddy of mine. It’s obviously heartbreaking to see. I’ve known Jarrod for a long time, and, obviously, my thoughts and prayers go out to Bri and the two kids.â€� Day and others consoled one another as they reminisced about a fun-loving big man with a big game. He was also a fighter, Day noted, beating back the disease three times. Some, like Day and Adam Scott, knew him well. Others met him in passing, and others still knew him only through stories. “Even guys that didn’t know him, hadn’t met him, they never heard anything but good things,â€� Fowler said. “The legend of Jarrod lives on. “I played quite a bit with him my first few years out on TOUR,â€� Fowler added, “and I loved how he was so kind of free-spirited and fun-loving. It didn’t really matter how his day was going or how he was playing, he was always happy or was going to try to make your day better. He wasn’t too worried about himself. He was just a fun guy to be around.â€� Fowler recalled how much it had meant to him to be in Australia for the World Cup and get to play in the benefit tournament for Challenge, the organization supporting kids with cancer fronted by Lyle and friend and fellow TOUR pro Robert Allenby. Lyle was always doing for others; it was nice to do something for him, Fowler said at Bellerive, where he wore a pin of Leuk the Duck, the Challenge mascot, front and center on his cap Thursday. The news of Lyle’s passing hit him especially hard in part because he’d just spoken to him. “I was lucky enough to be able to talk to him last Friday, so one thing that did help is hearing kind of from him how he felt,â€� Fowler said. “He sounded like he was in a good spot. … It’s been fun to be thinking about him while we’re out there playing, because he would probably be the one to kind of kick you in the butt if you started feeling sad or bad, he would kind of give you a hard time and tell you to man up or something along those lines. Maybe not those same words. “It’s been enjoyable celebrating his life,â€� he added, “and we’ll continue to do that.â€�

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