Tiger Woods will be named the United States' captain for the 2019 Presidents Cup, according to the Associated Press. Woods will be joined by Ernie Els, who will captain the international team during the matches at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia.

Woods has previously served as a vice captain on the 2016 Ryder Cup team and 2017 Presidents Cup team. He is slated to be a vice captain at the 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris, too. Woods has played on eight Presidents Cup teams, although not since 2013. He could potentially be a playing captain given how well he's hitting it right now and the fact that he's finished in the top 15 in each of his last two PGA Tour starts.

He's trending up in a way nobody thought possible even as recently as the beginning of this year.

Woods will follow Fred Couples, Jay Haas and Steve Stricker as captain of the U.S. Presidents Cup team. Woods' captaincy is a mildly surprising development, I suppose, given that he always seemed more destined for Ryder Cup captaincy before anything else. However, the historical template has been somewhat upended as Stricker was the captain for the last Presidents Cup team, and he seems to be a likely candidate for the 2020 Ryder Cup captaincy, too. 

The Presidents Cup-Ryder Cup captaincy crossover hasn't always been the norm (Fred Couples has captained three Presidents Cups but no Ryder Cups), but the template for international golf has changed. It appears that Woods will be at the heart of that change for the long term.

"I've played in the Presidents Cup eight times as a player, and I got a chance to serve as a vice captain for Steve (Stricker) last year, and I've had the most amazing times," Woods said. "It's just a huge honor for me. It's something I've always wanted to do, I always wanted to become a captain. I'm very fortunate to have had this opportunity."