As the captain of the President Cup team, Tiger Woods has the power to make four captain's picks for the team among the golfers who did not automatically qualify. In a strange bit of fate, the pool from which he can choose includes (among many) Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Matthew Wolff, Phil Mickelson, and ... himself.

So would Woods call his own number, use his captain power and call himself up to the 12-man squad? Most believe the answer to that question is a definitive yes. On Monday night on a conference call, though, Woods toed the company line by insisting he'll consult with the eight automatic qualifiers before making any decisions.

"My job as the captain is to put together the best team possible," Woods said via ESPN.com. "Trying to put together the best 12 guys. We'll be going through the whole process of having communication with the top eight guys and vice captains.

"That is something that we'll certainly talk about. Ultimately it'll be my call. But I want to have all of their opinions before that decision is made."

Woods as the captain has deciding power and can override any of the team's input or opinions, but he wants to approach it with a team-first mentality. In other words: if he's to play at the Presidents Cup, the eight automatic qualifiers -- Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Matt Kuchar, Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau, Webb Simpson and Patrick Cantlay -- will all need to either push Woods to call himself up to the 12-man team or offer no more than four alternatives among the captain's picks in order for him to join them.

It has been an up-and-down year for Woods despite such a promising start, which makes his decision all the more intriguing. He won the Masters in April that netted him his fifth major championship at Augusta National, but he's participated in only six total events since -- including only three non-majors -- and either missed the cut (twice) or withdrew (once).

While Woods at 43-years old is clearly not the machine he once was in the early aughts, his performance at the Masters was proof that he's still got it. His performances outside the Masters this year unfortunately proved that at his age, his best stuff may be more difficult to consistently channel than ever.

The Presidents Cup has been U.S.-dominated, with a nearly perfect 10-1-1 record. The one loss came in 1998 when Jack Nicklaus served as captain in Victoria, Australia, the first time Woods participated in the event. This year's Presidents Cup will take place Dec. 11-15 at Royal Melbourne.