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The rosters for the 14th Presidents Cup have been finalized, and once again the United States of America, which has previously claimed 11 victories in this competition, appears to be the overwhelming favorite.
The International team will have their work cut out for them when competition begins on September 22 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. The United States squad has five of the top 10 players in the world, and 11 of the top 20 players.
Kevin Kisner, who was chosen as one of six captain’s choices by Davis Love III of the United States squad on Wednesday, stated that he does not believe anyone gets overly caught up in the idea that they are the favorites. “The motivation is to win for your country and for your team, and to focus on the task at hand,” the coach said.
The United States of America have won eight consecutive matches in the Presidents Cup, the most recent of which being a 16-14 triumph in Melbourne, Australia in 2019.
“Last time in Australia, [it] was a little tighter than we wanted, but we proved that we can play and we can go on a long road game,” Love said. “And we have to take this home game, one, seriously, and two, grab the momentum.” “But our guys understand that anybody can win any match in match play, and if they are not ready by Thursday at lunchtime, somebody is going to jump them.” “But our people understand that anybody can win any match in match play.”
Here are some things to keep an eye out for in the two weeks leading up to the Presidents Cup:
What kinds of combinations may there be for the United States?
When it comes to filling out his team, Love appears to have two constants in mind: Jordan Spieth will be playing with Justin Thomas, and Patrick Cantlay will be playing with Xander Schauffele. When playing together in the Ryder Cup, Spieth and Thomas have been quite successful.
At the most recent Presidents Cup in 2019, Cantlay and Schauffele competed together a total of four times. They were victorious at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which took place before the end of April.
Both the world’s best golfer, Scottie Scheffler, and Sam Burns are extremely close with one another, thus pairing them up makes perfect sense. After the Open tournament in July, the four of them took their spouses on vacation to Greece together. The month of December found Kisner and Max Homa competing together in the QBE Shootout in Naples, Florida, where they finished tied for fifth place. Kisner also has the option of playing with rookie Cameron Young, who doesn’t contribute much to the conversation. Kisner talks a lot.
Tony Finau, who is known for his easygoing demeanor, is able to compete successfully alongside virtually any golfer. Most recently, he competed alongside Matt Kuchar and Bryson DeChambeau in the 2019 Presidents Cup, as well as Harris English at the Ryder Cup. It’s possible that Finau might get along well with Billy Horschel, whose personality is generally friendlier than Finau’s. Collin Morikawa, a rookie at the Presidents Cup who has already won two major championships, is capable of playing with virtually anyone.
What can you tell us about the composition of the international team?
After Australia’s Cameron Smith and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann defected to the LIV Golf circuit, international team captain Trevor Immelman was left scrambling to build his 12-man team in order to compete in the Presidents Cup, which is sanctioned by the PGA Tour.
As a result, Smith and Niemann were unable to compete in the Presidents Cup. On the LIV Golf circuit are also South Africans Louis Oosthuizen and Abraham Ancer, who were also locks to make the team and who are competing in the same country.
When it comes to Immelman’s pairings, one would assume that nationalities will serve as the connecting factor; yet, this might not be the case. Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith of Canada are likely on the same team given that they shared a dorm room in college and play a significant amount of golf together. The same is presumably true for Adam Scott of Australia, who will be competing in his tenth Presidents Cup, and Cameron Davis, who will be making his tournament debut.
However, Immelman stated that the International team has progressed to the point where he is now able to pair players from different countries.
“Over the last three or four years, one of the hurdles that our team has finally started to overcome is we’re at a point now where we don’t have to match people of the same nationality to get the best out of them,” Immelman said. “We’re at a point now where we don’t have to match people of the same nationality to get the best out of them.” “Over the course of the past four or five years, we have developed the environment of a team.
The players have a high level of ease when they are together and hanging out in close proximity to one another. We have arrived at solutions that allow us to close the communication gaps in specific situations.
“In all honesty, I do have access to all of the possibilities. I don’t have to worry about trying to pair up two people from Canada, or two people from Korea, or anything like that. Although it is a possibility, I would not put all of your eggs in that basket.”
Mito Pereira and Sebastian Munoz are close friends with one another. After Pereira’s embarrassing collapse on the 72nd hole of the PGA Championship being played at Southern Hills, Munoz was patiently waiting in the parking lot for him. Si Woo Kim, Tom Kim, Sungjae Im, and K.H. Lee are the four people from South Korea who are contributing to the squad.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who is just beginning his professional career, may benefit from the calming influence of veteran Hideki Matsuyama. Since Immelman’s squad already has a low chance of winning, the head coach might decide to switch up his starting lineup if things get off to a rocky start.
Who did the United States overlook the most?
The selection of Kisner was a sensible choice on Love’s part. He has the 26th spot in the global rankings and is a veteran on the United States team that is the youngest in the history of the Presidents Cup. In addition, Kisner is a match-play specialist, as evidenced by the fact that he won the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in 2019 and finished in second place twice previously. He is widely regarded as one of the Tour’s top putters.
Kisner told ESPN on Wednesday that one of his greatest joys in life is “serving my nation and being a part of a team sport.” “I can’t wait to go play with these young guys and see what they’ve got,” the player said. “I can’t wait to see what they’ve got.”
Because to a back issue, Will Zalatoris was unable to participate in the Tour Championship and the Presidents Cup, therefore Kisner was able to take his place in those tournaments.
“Kevin provides some seasoned leadership to the squad, a guy in the locker room that everybody likes having around [and] is really, incredibly easy to pair,” added Love. “Kevin is also an extremely easy person to communicate with.” “We have veterans on this team who are familiar with the players on the opposing side who are fun to get along with. We have statisticians and analysts who tell us who is simple to pair and who is a good fit for the golf course; Kevin, being a veteran, clearly fulfills the requirements for this role.”
Love could have selected Tom Hoge, J.T. Poston, or PGA Tour rookie Sahith Theegala instead of Kisner. Hoge and Poston finished barely ahead of Kisner in the rankings for the Presidents Cup, and Theegala had 11 top-25 finishes and qualified for the Tour Championship.
Hoge was most likely the most egregious omission. He won his maiden tournament on the PGA Tour in February at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and finished in the top 10 six other times. This summer, though, he endured a tough spell in which he missed six consecutive cut positions. He battled back to get a tenth-place finish at the Tour Championship. Because he was immediately in front of Young in the line of succession, it would have been quite convenient to go with him.
“I always say our first 12 is terrific and our next 12 is really good, and that’s what makes it so difficult for me to decide,” Love said. “I always say our next 12 is really good.” “Simply begin at the top of the list of criteria that automatically qualify. Will’s injury is obviously a source of frustration for everyone. Our first 12 [were] outstandingly capable athletes. We were dangerously close to being removed off the list of the top 12 immediately. However, if you start at number 13 and work your way down, each and every one of those guys is a great player, had a great year, and has a compelling argument for being included in the team.”
Who on Team USA is going to serve as the team’s mental and emotional leader?
Because of his impressive performance and passionate display of emotion during the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, Patrick Reed was given the nickname “Captain America.” Reed just quit the PGA Tour for LIV Golf.
After making his debut on the PGA Tour in 2010, Horschel will be participating in an international team competition for the very first time at Quail Hollow. Aside from Rory McIlroy, not many players on the PGA Tour have been as outspoken in their defense of the tour as they have been this year. Horschel is one of the rare players who isn’t afraid to put their feelings on their sleeve.
“Are you able to keep Billy in check?” Love said. “I really have no idea. Despite the fact that I’ve spent a lot of time with Billy over the years, I still don’t know how to keep him under control. You do a little bit of riding on his wave. You have to admit, there are moments when he goes much beyond the norm. But that’s exactly what we have in mind. We want Billy Horschel to start the round at Quail Hollow from the first tee. They are going to go completely over the top, and I think that’s fantastic. He is also going to go completely over the top.”
Love remarked that it would be essential to get a spouse who is capable of coping with Horschel’s level of activity.
Love was quoted as saying, “I would love to play with Billy because I need that extra energy.” “I need someone to pump me up. [Tom] Kite was always trying to stir me up, get me more impassioned. Payne Stewart was attempting to arouse a greater level of zeal in me. Therefore, if Billy is with the right guy, he can carry the energy.”
How much of a disturbance do you anticipate LIV Golf to be in Charlotte?
The PGA Tour-LIV Golf competition to determine the greatest golfers in the world has been the focal point of the sport during the entirety of this year. After the most recent wave of players left after the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the PGA Tour is hoping that the exodus of players has come to an end altogether. ESPN was informed by sources in the past that Pereira has the intention of competing on the LIV Golf circuit at some point in the foreseeable future.
There is no doubt that LIV Golf poached a few of the International team’s most skilled and experienced players, which hurt their prospects of winning at Quail Hollow.
Love expressed his regret that this was the topic going into the tournament, saying, “I feel horrible for the game of golf right now that this is the story going in, and we’ve got how many ever days until we really tee off.” “This week, on the DP World Tour, they are competing in a terrific event, and the story is, you know, Billy Horschel and Jon Rahm wishing folks weren’t there. That makes me sad. I truly feel sorry for each and every one of us.
“But Trevor has a job to do, and that job is to take 12 boys in there who are ready to play, and he is concentrating on doing that task. Many conversations have been had on the subject. I have to prepare these 12 people who are itching to play for Team USA ready to play, and I’m sure that once Thursday begins, everyone will be blown away by what they see. Tim Finchem, the former commissioner of the PGA Tour, would frequently use the phrase “it’s a distraction.” This is a really significant diversion from the topic that really ought to be the focus of our conversation.”
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