Tiger Woods takes a huge step in being handed the 2022 USA Ryder Cup captaincy when named tomorrow (Tuesday)  as the 2019 US Presidents Cup captain.

Woods will lead the American team to Melbourne, Australia where he will strive to deny an Ernie Els International team only a second victory when the Peter Thomson led Internationals shocked the Americans and winning by nine points from the US-led Jack Nicklaus side in 1998 at Royal Melbourne.

Woods and Els famously dueled at the 2003 Presidents Cup at Fancourt in South Africa over a play-off, tying for three holes before darkness intervened and the match was called, with both teams agreeing to share the cup.

Els, and a winner of four Majors, made his Presidents Cup debut in 1996 and was a member of that International winning side two years later, and all up, has contested eight Presidents Cups with the last being in 2013.

Els will take over the International lead reins from Zimbabwean Nick Price.

Tiger Wood and Ernie Els to be named captains of the 2019 Presidents Cup.

News of Woods appointment comes on the occasion of 199 days to the start of the 2018 Ryder Cup in Versailles.

Also the announcement of Woods as the 2019 USA Captain will be a huge boost to the Presidents Cup that has suffered for many years given the USA side has won 10 of 12 events since the inaugural tournament in 1994.

It will be Woods first taste of USA team captaincy after being a 2016 Hazeltine Ryder Cup vice-captain and also a vice-captain under Steve Stricker at last year’s Presidents Cup.

Woods has been named by Jim Furyk as a 2018 USA Ryder Cup vice-captain along with Stricker and Davis Love 111.

Stricker is set to captain the 2020 USA Ryder Cup side and Woods now the front-runner in Rome in 2022.

If Woods is appointed 2022 USA Ryder Cup Captain his possible European Captain opponent could very well be Padraig Harrington and with Lee Westwood the possible choice in 2020 at Whistling Straits.