The Presidents Cup
The Presidents Cup began in 1994, with the U.S. playing an international field of non-European countries. This event was created because there were a number of golf professionals who couldn’t play in the Ryder Cup. Countries represented this year included South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and Colombia.
I have been watching the Presidents Cup since it began. It takes place every two years, alternating years with the Ryder Cup. It has been a noncompetitive event, with the U.S. holding a 14-1-1 record. The one tie was a gentleman’s agreement between captains Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus when darkness came after a three-hole playoff.
This year, the United States was a huge favorite. The average ranking of the U.S. team was 16. The U.S. had six players in the top 10 of the world golf rankings. The average ranking of the 12 International players was 49. The International team had no players in the top 10. This just isn’t competitive.
I believe LIV hurt the International team, with four players from Australia and four players from South Africa leaving the PGA. The Ryder Cup allowed Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton from LIV to play. The International team should play LIV players as long as it is still a league.
This year’s event was exciting until Sunday’s singles. The U.S. is horrible at foursomes play. The team went 0-5 on Friday and 2-2 on Saturday. This made the match look competitive until Sunday’s singles matches.
United States rookies Chris Gotterup, with a 3-1-0 record, and Jackson Koivun, with a 2-0-1 record, were the best players for the U.S. team. Justin Thomas had a great tournament and did an awesome job of coaching Koivun when they played together.
An interesting event happened Sunday when Scottie Scheffler showed incredible sportsmanship. He was playing Nico Echavarria when a fan yelled, “Go Scottie,” during Echavarria’s backswing, causing him to hit a poor drive. When they got to the green, Scheffler gave Echavarria a 32-foot putt while he had a short birdie putt, which tied the hole.
I don’t know the answer to this event, but the format needs to change. I aso think it shouldn’t be played during football season, which hurts its TV ratings.
Dr. Jean Harris is an LPGA Master Professional and teaches at local golf courses. jean.golfdoctor.harris@gmail.com; golfdoctorjean.com.
