Story highlights
Tiger Woods and Adam Scott will face each other of day one of the Presidents Cup
Woods' ex-caddy Steve Williams now works with Australian world No. 7 Scott
Williams recently made a racial slurs against Woods at function in Shanghai
The ninth Presidents Cup will begin in Melbourne on Thursday
Tiger Woods will come face to face with Australian Adam Scott and his controversial ex-caddy Steve Williams when the 2011 Presidents Cup begins on Thursday.
U.S. captain Fred Couples picked former world No. 1 Woods to partner Steve Stricker in the day’s sixth and final foursomes match against the International pairing of Scott and South Korean veteran K.J. Choi in Melbourne.
Woods has won 18 of his 29 Presidents Cup matches, going 5-0 in 2009 as he and Stricker won all four matches together.
Williams recently caused controversy by aiming a racial slur at his former employer Woods during an awards function in Shanghai, China.
The New Zealander has since apologized for the outburst, with 14-time major winner Woods and world No.7 Scott both saying they would have no problems competing at close quarters during the four-day event.
International captain Greg Norman and Couples denied that the match-up was premeditated.
“I think it’s great for the tournament,” two-time British Open winner Norman told the PGA Tour’s official website. “It needed to be done. It played out the way it played out. There wasn’t any premeditation by it.
“I think at the end of the day, the guys in that last group will be the consummate professionals and go out and play the game of golf representing their International team and the U.S. team the way they should do.”
Woods unfazed by possible Scott clash
Couples, who led the U.S. to a sixth victory in eight stagings of the event in 2009, agreed with the Australian.
“I think it worked out awesome for everybody involved to have Adam and Tiger play,” the 1992 Masters champion said. “As we said all along, they are still very good friends, and I think it’s an exciting match.”
The action will begin at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club with American duo Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson going up against South Africa’s three-time major winner Ernie Els and Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa – who at 18 is the youngest player to appear at the event.
Match two pits the U.S. pair of Fedex Cup champion Bill Haas and Nick Watney against Australian Geoff Ogilvy and South Africa’s 2011 Masters winner Charl Schwartzel.
Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar will face U.S.-born Australian Aaron Baddeley and world No. 8 Jason Day in match three.
The experienced pairing of four-time major winner Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk will play for the U.S. in match four, against South Africa’s two-time U.S. Open winner Retief Goosen and fellow veteran Robert Allenby of Australia.
The penultimate match sees Presidents Cup debutant Kyung-tae Kim and experienced fellow South Korean Y.E. Yang take on U.S. Ryder Cup players Hunter Mahan and David Toms.
After Thursday’s opening foursomes, the fourball matches begin on Friday. Saturday sees both formats played before the winner is crowned following Sunday’s 12 singles matches.
Meanwhile, Woods will make his first appearance at the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi Golf Championship when the 2012 season begins in January.
The 35-year-old will therefore miss the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, his traditional season-opening event, in an attempt to claim a portion of the $2.7 million prize fund on offer at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
Woods’ participation in the event, which was first played in 2006, was confirmed by tournament organizers on Wednesday.
