Woods blog sparks speculation he'll play as captain

Speculation swirled that superstar Tiger Woods will choose himself to play in the Presidents Cup as captain of the US team thanks to an enigmatic sign-off on a blog post.

In the US captain's blog posted on the US PGA Tour website, Woods says the eight US players already selected are "fired up" for the match-play showdown between America and the International team, which will be held at Royal Melbourne in December.

"As a captain, I couldn't have asked for a more engaged and excited group of guys," Woods says in a lengthy post which he signed: U.S. Team Captain (crossed out) Playing Captain.

It's not the first time one of these blogs has been signed that way, and it remains unclear if Woods will name himself to play when he makes his four captain's picks for the team on November 4.

Since winning his 15th major title at the Masters in April Woods has made only six starts, missing two cuts and withdrawing from one event.

Woods revealed in late August that he had undergone keyhole surgery to repair cartilage in his left knee, but he still expects to tee it up at the PGA Tour's inaugural Zozo championship in Japan in October.

Woods has indicated throughout the year that he wouldn't shy away from selecting himself to play if he thinks he can benefit the team.

This week he said the selections would "ultimately be my call" but added he would "lean heavily" on the opinions of captain's assistants Steve Stricker, Zach Johnson and Fred Couples as well as the eight players who qualified for the team.

The last playing captain at the Presidents Cup was Hale Irwin at the inaugural edition in 1994.

Arnold Palmer was the most recent playing captain in the Ryder Cup, in 1963.