Tiger Woods return: Woods backed for ninth Bay Hill title after Presidents Cup announcement

On the back of his runner-up finish in the Valspar Championship, Woods opened up 8/1 in a place but that was soon taken and he's now a strong 6/1 favourite with Sky Bet.

In contrast, Rory McIlroy has been friendless at 18/1 with Justin Rose (12/1) and Rickie Fowler (20/1) far more popular with punters ahead of the Bay Hill event.

Ben Coley's each-way selection Kevin Chappell is no bigger than 55/1 having been advised at 75/1 for an event in which he's previously finished runner-up, while there's also been support for Francesco Molinari at a similar price.

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As he arrived at the course for what was described as a gentle practice session on Tuesday, it was also confirmed that Woods will captain the United States Presidents Cup side in 2019, with Ernie Els leading the Internationals.

Woods and Els famously squared off as players in the 2003, when sent out for sudden-death after the match ended 17-17 before eventually settling for a draw as light faded in South Africa.

This time, the event heads to Royal Melbourne in Australia, scene of the Internationals' sole success in 12 matches as they won 20.5-11.5 in 1998, when Woods was a rookie who contributed two points to his team's total.

One of the finest courses in the region, Royal Melbourne also hosted the 2011 renewal when Woods' two points helped the USA to a convincing victory, and after a 19-11 romp in 2017, Els will face a stiff task to keep things competitive.

Woods, who was vice-captain at Liberty National last year, will still hope to make the team as a player and remains in the hunt for a Ryder Cup place this September, having already been named on Jim Furyk's support staff.

"After working as a captain’s assistant for Steve (Stricker) in 2017, I realised that I wanted to captain the 2019 event at Royal Melbourne," said Woods.

"I’m proud to follow in the footsteps of past captains like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin, Ken Venturi, Fred Couples, Jay Haas and Steve Stricker.

"The core group of players on the US team have a lot of talent, enthusiasm and great team camaraderie. They are easy-going and fun to be around off the course, but extremely competitive inside the ropes.

"I have no doubt that Ernie will have the International team ready to go in Melbourne, and I cannot think of a more fitting captain to carry the tradition of goodwill through competition than Ernie Els."

Els, who has slipped to a lowly 649th in the world rankings and seems unlikely to feature in the event as a player, confirmed his delight as succeeding 2017 captain Nick Price.

"The Presidents Cup has provided me with many of the best memories of my career," said Els. "To be named captain of the team is an incredible honour."

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