MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) — The Americans broke into three groups on a light day of practice Monday at Medinah, all of them looking comfortable and trading occasional barbs. The Presidents Cup always seems to feel like a happy occasion, and for good reason: They almost never lose.
There was that one loss in Australia when the matches were so late in the year that the U.S. players spent most of their time online shopping for the holidays until they realized they were in a hole so deep there was no way out except to suffer a big loss.
That was 26 years ago. Three of the 24 players in this Presidents Cup weren’t even born the last time — the only time — the Internationals won.
Should anyone expect Medinah to be different?
“It’s the elephant in the room you have to address,” U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker said. “Just because these last teams have been successful doesn’t mean we’re going to be successful. We have to reset the bar for our team, tell them we have a standard to play to and we’re 0-0. These 12 guys have accomplished nothing. We’re going to hammer that into them.”
Each edition of the Presidents Cup brings new hope for the Internationals, a team that draws players from every continent except Europe. The depth favors the Americans, with all but two of their players inside the top 25 in the world ranking.
The exceptions are Patrick Cantlay (No. 28), who has proven to be their best clutch player in these team competitions; and Jackson Koivun, the 21-year-old who three months ago was helping Auburn to another NCAA title.
Koivun, the No. 1 amateur in the world, won in his third start on the PGA Tour as a pro and Snedeker found him too compelling to pass up. Koivun becomes the first player since Jordan Spieth in 2013 to start a year without a PGA Tour card and end it with the Presidents Cup.
The thinking was similar to when Europe chose Ludvig Aberg, who went from college to the Ryder Cup without ever having played in a major. Europe figured he would be part of every team for years to come and it was good to give him a taste.
Snedeker bristled at the idea that the Presidents Cup would be a good experience for Koivun for the Ryder Cup in 2027 and beyond.
“Our job as captain and vice captains for the Presidents Cup it put the best 12 players on the field,” Snedeker said. “To sit there and think this is a training session is laughable. I’ve worked 14 months for this opportunity. I’m not going to put somebody in a situation that’s not going to help our team win. I feel he gives us a better chance to win.”
The highest-ranked player for Geoff Ogilvy’s team is Si Woo Kim, who rose to No. 14 in the world by becoming the first player to earn $10 million in a PGA Tour season without winning. Among the four rookies on his team is 39-year-old Ryan Fox, the New Zealander who showed his mettle when he won the British Open with a birdie on the last hole.
And then there’s Adam Scott, who ties a Presidents Cup record held by Phil Mickelson by playing for the 12th time. The Australian has yet to be on the winning side. His debut in 2003 was in South Africa when it ended in a tie.
“I’ve been given another chance. It might be the last one,” the 46-year-old Scott said. “I’m more excited this year than previously.”
The biggest hurdle for Ogilvy, the 2006 U.S. Open champion, and his International team is history. It came down to the final match in South Korea in 2015, and in Virginia in 2005. Far too often it has been an American runaway.
“Clearly winning something for the first time — the first time in a very long time — it’s probably more difficult than if you’re winning all the time,” Ogilvy said. “But we’re getting closer all the time.”
Perhaps one advantage for the Internationals is playing at Medinah. They have never won on American soil, but it was Ogilvy’s design company (OCM) that was chosen to renovate the course.
Nine players this week were at Medinah for the 2019 BMW Championship. Snedeker and three of his assistants were at the 2012 Ryder Cup. But this is an entirely different Medinah, and no one knows it better than the guy who designed it.
“We have an advantage right now,” Ogilvy said two weeks ago when he announced his captain’s picks. “By the time we get to Thursday morning, I think the advantage will be gone. Professional golfers are very good at learning a golf course.
“Hopefully there will be a little advantage. The boys will get a little shot of confidence because their captain built the course,” he said. “It could be more psychological than real. But we’ll see.”
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