US TEAM captain Fred Couples has put the acid on Tiger Woods to
expand his playing schedule if he wants a spot in the Presidents Cup at
Royal Melbourne in November.
Woods, the former world No. 1 who has spent much of this
year sidelined with injury, is not qualified for the teams event in
Melbourne, has missed out on the PGA Tour play-offs, which begin soon,
and is relying on Couples to choose him as one of his two discretionary
selections.
Couples has previously said he would love Woods on the
team, but he said on Wednesday that Woods needed to play more to regain
his form and confidence. At the moment, his schedule is blank until the
Australian Open at The Lakes in Sydney, the week before the Presidents
Cup.
''I really want him on the team based on my opinion that he's been the best player for 10 straight years,'' Couples said.
''I don't think you can push him down because he's not
playing maybe as well as 20 other guys that could be picked. A couple of
times I've been picked for a Presidents Cup or a Ryder Cup, and
sometimes that's just the way it falls.
''I've talked to [Woods's agent] Mark Steinberg about him
playing [additional tournaments]. We're going to figure out a way that
we can get this done. He can't just show up the week before in
Australia. I have made it clear that whoever I picked will be playing
the Australian tournament the week before. But I need him to play more
than just there.''
Woods, whose last tournament win was the Australian
Masters at Kingston Heath in 2009, has slumped to No. 33 in the world
after he missed the cut at the US PGA Championship in Atlanta last week.
He has played just two tournaments since resuming from knee and Achilles tendon injuries.
The two teams are chosen on September 18.
