Woods fit for Presidents Cup

NARASHINO, Japan: Tiger Woods said Monday his fitness was ahead of schedule after arthroscopic knee surgery, and dropped a heavy clue he might use one of his four Presidents Cup captain’s picks on himself.

“I’m probably a week early. My season had ended a little bit earlier than I had expected it,” the 15-time major winner told reporters at Accordia Golf, Narashino Country Club near Tokyo before coming through an exhibition match unscathed.

“I had the procedure a little bit early and got ahead of it,” he added. Woods is in Japan this week to play in the US PGA Tour’s inaugural Zozo Championship, the second $9.75 million tournament of an almost $30 million three-event Asian swing.

He intends to end his year by playing in the Hero World Challenge beginning December 4, before going to Australia to captain Team USA in the Presidents Cup a week later. Woods, who completed a remarkable return from years of injury and personal problems to win the US Masters in April, said his knee had been giving him more pain as the year wore on.

“It progressively got worse and got to the point where it was affecting even reading putts,” the 43-year-old Woods said.

Woods has a large depth of talent from which to make his four captains picks ahead of the match against Ernie Els’s International team at Royal Melbourne.“I’ve been pretty consumed by it,” he said, adding his return to fitness made it more likely that he would use one of his wildcards on himself.”