Tag: presidents cup

It’s safe to say that the 2009 Presidents Cup will be different from any we’ve experienced to date.

The first big change is the venue. Harding Park, a municipal course owned by the city of San Francisco, will host in 2009. The Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virgina has hosted on the four occasions the Presidents Cup has been played in the United States since its inception in 1994.

Second, each team will have new captains. Freddy Couples will lead the U.S. against Greg Norman’s International team. They’re shaping up to be very different personalities than the former captains, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. While Freddy and Greg are capable and deserving of the roles, they don’t possess the same golfing gravitas that Jack and Gary do.

When asked who he was considering as an assistant captain, Freddy’s response was:

I’ve mentioned Michael Jordan as an assistant, assistant, assistant. Lately I’ve mentioned Robin Williams and the reason I say that is as Greg mentioned earlier, we’re not on any teams when you’re in the locker room. And you have people come in when you’re in the team room, I think, first of all, I love Michael Jordan, I’ve been around him. He does some things in Santa Barbara. A lot of our players know him. He’s at these events. So that’s why I bring his name up because as a team player, there’s no one any better. And I think that’s what’s the fun part.

Now the challenging part is when you’re sitting around and you’ve got nothing but time, I would like a guy like Robin Williams there to keep us loose, and that’s why I say that. Whether they are there or not, I don’t know, but I do have a great friend in mine mind to play as my teammate and hopefully pick some good guys and get some good pairings. (Link)

Possibly topping that off was Greg Norman hinting that he might select his fiancée as his assistant.

We’ve got the Ryder Cup this year, a couple FedEx Cups, eight majors, seven WGC events and about 60 PGA Tour events before the Presidents Cup is set to be played. But it’s shaping up to be an interesting tournament already.

Watching the Presidents Cup Singles Matches was an exercise in golf viewing endurance. Going in with the expectation that the Cup would inevitably remain with the U.S. team, an interested viewer had to search for a hook. The Woods v. Weir and Mickelson v. Singh matches proved very watchable and there were boatloads of good shots all day long, but the suspense just wasn’t there.

In fact, the entire tournament seemed weird. It was friendly and sporting, which prompts the question: Is the congenial atmosphere a good thing?

Pro: It’s perfect if the matches are close and the actual golf shots are doing the talking. Not rude fans. Not digs from one team against the other. Not gamesmanship controversy. Golf is a gentleman’s game and the teams were led by two of the games most respected and accomplished players in the history of the game – Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. A congenial atmosphere makes for a great golf tournament if the matches are close.

Con: However, if the matches aren’t close there’s not much to talk about. By definition it’s difficult to remain friendly when controversy invades hitting a golf ball. The players aren’t used to team play, and that often leads to what some might call a robust “competitive spirit.” The thing about golf is that, unlike in hockey or football, trash-talk on the field of play rarely goes unheard. This years Presidents Cup could have used a little more “competitive spirit.”

The Presidents Cup has done what the Ryder Cup has failed to do – it has brought together players from around the world and allowed them play great golf and laugh together afterwards. When the week is done, egos are intact and knees not too bruised from first-tee jitters.

Golf is a game. A great game.

The U.S. team absolutely trounced the International team in foursomes this morning by winning every match to go up 12-5 in the overall Cup point totals. I’m stoked. Go U.S. of A. But, I also hope the Internationals can make a run this afternoon so the singles mean something tomorrow. Technically, the U.S. could win the Cup today by sweeping the afternoon Four-ball. Not likely, considering their play yesterday, but possible.

I’m disappointed that we haven’t seen a Woods v. Sabatini match-up during the first three days of play. Rory has been nipping at Tiger all year, and Tiger has been shutting him up with actual golf results. Still, it would be cool to see the two in the same match. Instead, Captain Player, when presented with the chance of creating such a pairing, choose to sit Sabatini out for the afternoon.

Is it ridiculous to suggest that Tiger Woods be benched for the the afternoon Four-ball? His Four-ball record is an abysmal 2-7 after yesterday’s beating, and while sitting him out would possibly lead to riots by a sold-out crowd who paid to see the best in the world, it could be the smartest move for the U.S. (Note: The pairs are already set for the afternoon, and Woods is playing with Toms.)

The Presidents Cup itself was the biggest winner today thanks to the International team making up a significant amount of ground and preventing the weekend play from becoming a mere formality. Nothing would have been worse than watching the teams go through the motions for the final two days of quality golf of the season.

The U.S. enters the weekend with seven points, two points ahead of the International team. The final total would have been closer but for Woody Austin’s solid play on the final three holes. After falling in the water after trying to hit out of the water on the 14th hole he went par-birdie-birdie-birdie to reduce the match to all-square from two-down and secure a half point.

The Stricker-Verplank combo was the only U.S. pair to win a match outright today, while the usually dependable Woods-Furyk pair got trounced by Singh-Appleby. I thought the Mickelson-Mahan duo would have performed better than they did. Down early, they fought back to all-square only to lose the final hole and the match.

Prediction for Day Three: The International team will put up more of a fight during the morning foursomes matches and takeover the overall Cup lead during the afternoon four-ball matches.

The U.S. team won five matches and halved one match today. That’s a pretty solid showing for a team that is generally perceived to have missed that day in first grade when you’re taught to play well with others.

Both teams’ performances looked unspectacular on TV. Are we seeing the effect of “FedEx Fatigue”? Or is it just first-day jitters? The fact that Tiger Woods popped-up his opening tee shot proves that this Cup still means something to the players. The first tee nerves wouldn’t be here if the players didn’t want to win this thing.

Hopefully the Int’l team will put some points on the board tomorrow and the atmosphere will tighten over the weekend. If not, Royal Montreal may be open for member play on Sunday.

The U.S. team will defeat the International team 19-16, but it will ultimately depend on the Sunday singles matches. The U.S. is notorious for playing slightly less than inspiring golf during four-ball and foursomes. And while the International team doesn’t have the same flare as the GB & I players in Ryder Cup years, they seem to gel better – probably because they have less “big” names, which translate into big egos. Lastly, I think the crowd will be largely neutral considering how close Montreal is to the U.S.