Tiger Woods should select himself as a captain's pick for the Presidents Cup provided he is fit to play, says Justin Thomas.
Fitness woes in the backend of the season, including surgery to repair knee cartilage in August, hindered Woods, who is due to return at this month's ZOZO Championship in Japan.
Woods failed to gain automatic selection for the biennial Presidents Cup, which pits the United States against an international team not including European players.
The 15-time major champion can still feature, though, by naming himself among four wildcard selections, a scenario Ryder Cup team-mate Thomas is backing.
"I think if he's healthy and playing well, I mean, I'll take him 100 times out of 100," Thomas said in quotes reported by Sky Sports.
"I think he knows his body and knows himself well enough to make that decision.
"He's asked me about it and I've told him that exact same thing. For him, it's all about health, and for anybody. They need to make sure their game is ready and their body is ready because it's not just something that you do just to do.
"If he's going to pick himself, he's only going to do it if he's ready and he's playing well. So I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
Several players are vying for a pick, with Patrick Reed, Rickie Fowler and U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland among them, and Thomas says Woods has been conversing with players already on the team over who should get the nod.
"[Woods] has reached out to all of us on the team about what we think and what we want," Thomas added. "It is kind of a different year, but that being said, it's not a bad thing, it's a good thing.
"It shows how deep our team is and how many great players we truly have with the chance and the possibility of having on the team playing. He's going to make the right decisions."
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