If Trevor Immelman said it once, he said it a hundred times in the run-up to this year’s Presidents Cup: “We are huge underdogs.” And it was hard to argue. After all, his International side had been decimated by departures from the established tours to LIV Golf.
Missing the likes of Cameron Smith, Juaquin Niemann, Louis Oosthuizen, Abraham Ancer and Marc Leishman, many feared for the competitiveness of what is already a typically one-sided contest, and those fears looked well-founded when the hosts scooped eight of the first 10 points and 11 of 15 at the halfway mark.
The US eventually ran out worthy winners, clinching the cup outright for the ninth successive time, but it wasn’t the serene stroll to victory it was supposed to be. Far from it, in fact, as Immelman’s team of plucky underdogs established themselves as a force to be reckoned with, and a host of unlikely names grabbed their opportunity to shine.
While we were denied some potential blockbuster match-ups as a result of golf’s ongoing Civil War, it was brilliant to see the likes of Tom Kim, K.H. Lee, Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im showcase their personalities, as well as their golfing abilities. The Presidents Cup was a far richer experience for it in the end.
In particular, Tom Kim proved to be the catalyst for an International fightback that no one saw coming. At dormie 5-down to Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele in Friday’s fourball matches, the fiery South Korean unleashed the kind of celebration usually reserved for the final green and a match winning or saving endeavour. But it was that unapologetic never-say-die attitude that made him this edition’s breakout star.
He eventually ran out of steam in his Sunday singles tie against Max Homa, losing from 3-up with seven to play when the destination of the cup had already been decided, but his victory celebration on Saturday afternoon will live long in the memory. It was Ian Poulter Miracle at Medinah stuff as he slid in a 10-footer to beat Cantlay and Schauffele on the final green and spark wild celebrations that were somehow fitting at 11-5…
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