The Presidents Cup has been one of the least-competitive events in sports. The Americans hold an 11-1-1 advantage over the International team, with the U.S. loss occurring almost a quarter century ago.
That’s a winning percentage of 88.4.
Things aren’t looking any better for the International team in this week’s matches at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, after stalwarts Cameron Smith, Louis Oosthuizen, Joaquin Niemann and Abraham Ancer – each inside the top 25 in the world rankings – became ineligible by joining LIV Golf.
Sure, the Americans also lost star power with Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau among five U.S. players ranked inside the top 50 joining LIV.
Still, this looks like a classic mismatch, with the U.S. team averaging 12.08 in the world rankings, compared to 47.91 for the Internationals.
But that won’t stop Hall of Famer Nick Price from watching the Presidents Cup. Price has a vested interest, having served as the International captain three times from 2013-’17.
Presidents Cup: TV info, format schedule
As much as Price would like to see the International team win this weekend for just the second time, the three-time major champion and former world No. 1 knows this is one of the few times in golf where being close matters.
“Obviously, what’s happened (with LIV Golf) is a negative to the Presidents Cup,” Price said this week. “But match play is fickle. If it’s a closely contested Presidents Cup, people will forget about who’s not playing.
“That’s the crux — if it’s not closely contested, then there’s going to be all these things written about what has happened and is there a future for the Presidents Cup? Of course, there’s going to be a future for the Presidents Cup.”
Price is confident in his last remark because golf has become a young man’s game. There are plenty of emerging stars such as Tom Kim, PGA Championship near-miss Mito Pereira and former Honda Classic champion Sungjae Im on the International team.
Under Price’s captaincy, the International team had two close losses (18 ½-15 ½ in 2013 and 15 ½-14 ½ in ‘15) before losing 19-11 in ’17.
The International team almost won in 2019, leading by two going into singles before the Tiger Woods-led U.S. team rallied for a 16-14 victory.
Price knows the International team’s biggest weakness is depth. That’s why he approached former PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem almost a decade ago to ask…
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