Presidents Cup 2019: Woods had 'zero hesitation' in leading from the front

Tiger Woods had "zero hesitation" in picking himself to start the United States' bid to retain the Presidents Cup along with Justin Thomas.

Captain Woods and Thomas will come up against International duo Marc Leishman and Joaquin Niemann.in the first of five four-ball matches at Royal Melbourne Golf Club on Thursday.

Woods has an impressive 24-15-1 record in the competition but is 7-9-0 in the four-ball format.

The 15-time major champion is determined to lead by example and get his side off to a strong start as they attempt to win the event for an eighth time in a row.

"There was zero hesitation here." Woods said when asked about his selection.

"I think from our side, we had a game plan [of] who we wanted to start out, and we were committed to putting Justin and myself out there, and that's who we’re rolling with."

In 2009, @marcleish was paired with @TigerWoods for the first time. He was so nervous, he worried he might miss the ball on No. 1. 10 years later, they face off in @PresidentsCup Four-Ball action. pic.twitter.com/XWSicG88dw

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 11, 2019

The Masters champion added: "Having my responsibility as a player, I want to get out there and play with Justin, but also as a captain, I want to see my guys play."

Woods has no concerns about the fitness of Dustin Johnson, who will play competitively for the first time since undergoing knee surgery as he teams up with Gary Woodland to face Abraham Ancer and Louis Oosthuizen.

"More than anything with DJ, it’s just making sure that he recovered from the flight," said Woods.

"He’s feeling good. He's worked out each and every day we’ve been here. He was chomping at the bit to get out there."