"If he's healthy and playing well... I'll take him... 100 times out of 100," says Thomas ahead of Presidents Cup in Melbourne in December
Wednesday 16 October 2019 13:42, UK
Justin Thomas has backed Tiger Woods to name himself as a captain's pick for Team USA's Presidents Cup side later this year.
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Woods missed out on automatic qualification for the biennial contest despite winning a 15th major title at the Masters in April, with Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Webb Simpson, Matt Kuchar and Bryson DeChambeau occupying those spots.
The 43-year-old battled injury problems during the second half of the season and underwent surgery in August to repair knee cartilage damage, with Woods set to return to action at the Zozo Championship in Japan.
Woods then names the four wildcard selections to complete his American side early next month, with Thomas believing the American captain should name himself for Royal Melbourne if fully fit.
"I think if he's healthy and playing well, I mean, I'll take him, you know, 100 times out of 100," Thomas said. "I think he knows his body and knows himself well enough to make that decision.
"He's asked me about it and I've told him that exact same thing. For him, it's all about health, and for anybody. They need to make sure their game is ready and their body is ready because it's not just something that you do just to do.
"If he's going to pick himself, he's only going to do it if he's ready and he's playing well. So I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
US Open champion Gary Woodland and recent Ryder Cup players Tony Finau, Patrick Reed, Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson - who has featured in every American team since 1994 - are among the other players looking for a pick, with Thomas having full faith in Woods to pick the right players.
"He [Tiger] has reached out to all of us on the team about what we think and what we want," Thomas added. "It is kind of a different year, but that being said, it's not a bad thing, it's a good thing.
"It shows how deep our team is and how many great players we truly have with the chance and the possibility of having on the team playing. He's going to make the right decisions.
"He's going to do what's best for the team, not what's best for him or what's best for one individual person. The strict and only reason of being a captain is to pick the best players on the team that we can try to go and win the Presidents Cup."
Watch the Presidents Cup live from December 13-15 on Sky Sports!
