This year, the biennial playing of the Presidents Cup between the United States and the International Team has been thrown into chaos as a result of the ongoing civil war between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf Series.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan issued an almost immediate suspension to those that defected to the Greg Norman-fronted venture and as the PGA Tour is the creator and organiser of the Presidents Cup, many players are now ineligible to take part.
With the 14th playing of the competition just a matter of weeks away, captains Davis Love III and Trevor Immelman now face the ultimate headache as they seek to piece together a team they believe is capable of challenging for top honours.
Here are the twelve biggest names that each captain will be without for this year’s Presidents Cup.
The International Team
(Image credit: Getty Images)
- Abraham Ancer
- Cameron Smith
- Marc Leishman
- Joaquin Niemann
- Louis Oosthuizen
- Branden Grace
Whilst they each hold their own importance, the acquisition of Cameron Smith is perhaps the most significant. Not only is the Australian the Champion Golfer of the Year but he also holds the Players Championship – the PGA Tour’s flagship event – which is the most financially lucrative purse of the season and often dubbed “the fifth Major” because of its strength of field.
The World No.2 is the best-ranked player to join the breakaway circuit and would have almost been guaranteed a place on the International Team for decades to come.
Niemann, winner of the Genesis Invitational earlier this year, is similar in nature. At just 23-years-old and 19th in the Official World Golf Ranking, the Chilean is the best-ranked player under the age of 25 to join the Series. Others ineligible for Immelman’s team include Carlos Ortiz and Anirban Lahiri.
United States Team
(Image credit: Getty Images)
- Dustin Johnson
- Patrick Reed
- Brooks Koepka
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Phil Mickelson
- Talor Gooch
The United States team is unequivocally better stocked to handle a mass exodus from its Presidents Cup selection pool, but take nothing away from the fact that losing multiple Major…
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