Ancer: 'I would like to play against Tiger' at Presidents Cup

With the Presidents Cup only a few weeks away, rookie Abraham Ancer is already stating who he'd like to play against in Sunday singles matches.

He's got a giant target in mind.

"I would like to play against Tiger (Woods)," Ancer said, according to Golf Channel's Will Gray. "But the truth is that our objective is to do everything we can to win. Winning a match in the singles would be very special."

Be careful what you wish for.

Ancer, who will become the first player to represent Mexico in the Presidents Cup, went 2-1 in the 2019 WGC-Match Play - his only head-to-head experience as a professional.

Captain Woods is 53-20-2 in singles matches with three WGC-Match Play victories to his name. He famously defeated Stephen Ames, 9 and 8, in 2006 after the Canadian called out Tiger, saying: "Anything can happen, especially where he's hitting the ball."

While Ancer isn't challenging Tiger the same way Ames did, mentioning the 15-time major champion's name is a risky endeavor. The 28-year-old's most recent win as a professional was at the 2018 Australian Open. He will need that same form, plus a lot of help from his teammates, if the Internationals are going to win their first Presidents Cup since 1998.

"I feel like having players from all over the world with different cultures, different languages, it's important to get along," the confident Ancer said. "Really, when we get there, we're already a team. We're not trying to become a team once we're already there. I feel like we've been doing a pretty good job this year. And, like I said, I'm excited. I think we're going to do really well."

The Presidents Cup begins Dec. 12 at Royal Melbourne in Australia.