Tiger Woods Cruises Past Abraham Ancer in 2019 Presidents Cup Matchup

United States playing captain Tiger Woods scored a 3-and-2 victory over Abraham Ancer of the International Team in the first match of singles play on the final day of the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia.

Woods opted to make himself the leadoff golfer Sunday (Saturday night in the U.S.) after remaining on the sideline throughout Day 3 despite posting a 2-0 record while playing alongside Justin Thomas over the first two days of action.

"That was kind of the game plan," he told reporters. "It would be hard for me to go all the sessions."

The decision raised eyebrows because the Americans have been trailing for virtually the entire event and the 15-time major champion had displayed great form. He's dealt with a history of injuries, including knee and back problems that have led to eight surgeries, which comes to mind every time he doesn't play.

He didn't show any signs of health issues during his head-to-head battle with Ancer, however, and going out first put him in position to spend the maximum amount of time in the role of captain.

Woods never trailed in the match, but that fact alone doesn't shed light on the amount of tension throughout the match as his counterpart kept it close with strong play of his own.

The first three times the American captain took a 1-up lead, Ancer bounced back to level the match. It wasn't until the final holes that Tiger was able to pull away.

He rebounded from losing the 13th to win the next two holes to go 3-up with three holes to play. He closed it out with a birdie on No. 16. His win moved the overall score to 10-9 in favor of the International Team with 11 singles matches still on the course.

Although it was a crucial point, particularly since he put himself first to help set the tone for a potential comeback, his terrific play once again on Day 4 will raise further questions about his absence from both sessions yesterday should the U.S. ultimately come up short.

Woods will immediately get back out on the course to handle captain duties for the remaining matches.

What's Next?

Woods is going to take some time off following the Presidents Cup. He announced his commitment to play the Genesis Invitational in mid-February, but it's possible his 2020 debut comes in the Farmers Insurance Open in late January. It's a tournament he's won a record seven times.