The Presidents Cup is somewhat of a mystery. Anyone who soaked up the vibe at Royal Melbourne two years ago and saw the excellence and consistency of the brilliant American team that comfortably beat Greg Norman&aposs Internationals amid huge crowds at one of the world&aposs greatest golf courses would acknowledge that the event has a strong place in the calendar. Here was a great celebration of the game with a friendly vibe, completed by Tiger Woods&apos appearance amongst the most raucous of the fans, the Fanatics, an image that went around the world. The event has had its moments. The climax of the 2003 Presidents Cup at the Fancourt club in George, South Africa, was unforgettable. Tiger Woods and Ernie Els, then ranked first and second in the world, were required to carry the hopes of their teammates after the matches were tied at 17-17. It only ended when it grew too dark and they had played two dramatic playoff holes, and the cup was declared a tie by captains Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player even though there was no provision for such a result under the rules. But the Presidents Cup has a fundamental problem as the players prepare to step up again at Nicklaus&apos Muirfield Village in Columbus, Ohio, this week. In nine playings of the event around the world only once — at Royal Melbourne in 1998 — has the International team triumphed. The US, with its unmatched depth of talent, has won seven times and tied once. In 2011, the organisers turned the putting surfaces at &aposRoyal&apos purple they were so quick, to the point where Korea&aposs YE Yang called them out as bordering on unfair. This was thought to favour the Internationals, but clearly it did not. After the event, Norman said he believed the format needed a tweak and here was an acknowledgement. Although the Shark did not say it in so many words, his meaning was plain: the Americans are too good. Smaller teams are the most obvious answer, or some more flexibility in team selection; perhaps more captain&aposs picks. But nothing has changed as the event comes around again in America this week. The lop-sided nature of the contest does not appear to have bothered US PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem and this year&aposs International team looks to be hopelessly outmatched. “In order for the Presidents Cup to really go to the next level, it&aposs got to become more consistently competitive,” new International captain Nick Price said recently. “That is what&aposs lacking. Until such time as that happens, I don&apost want to say it&aposs going to flounder but it&aposs not going to get to the next level. And everything needs to get to the next level to survive.” Cup veteran Ernie Els and Price approached Finchem after Royal Melbourne, pushing for a change to the format so that it would mimic the Ryder Cup matches. Price and South African Ernie Els, who is poised to play on his eighth Presidents Cup team in October, tried to persuade PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem to consider switching the points system to the Ryder Cup model (four four-ball and four foursomes matches on each of the first two days followed by the singles) . But Finchem would not budge. “Initially he (Finchem) was (receptive) and then he phoned me back three weeks later and said he wasn&apost prepared to change,” Price said. “He didn&apost think it needed a change. Ernie and I were really disappointed with the outcome. The International teams that I played on, we were never revered like the European Ryder Cup teams because we keep getting beaten. And they (critics) say, &aposOh well, the Europeans are more motivated and they are a closer unit&apos.&apos&apos The tour owns and runs the Presidents Cup and it is a monumental success in terms of its contribution to charity and its profitability, despite &aposlittle brother&apos status alongside the burgeoning Ryder Cup. The players take it seriously and the crowds turn out every time. If the event needs an International win for its own credibility then Finchem merely points to the crowds and the television ratings to suggest that nothing is broken. Price knows that he has a huge job ahead of him. The Americans have Woods and Phil Mickelson to mention but two, and Jim Furyk, who went 5-0 at Royal Melbourne, did not even make the team, such is the depth available to Fred Couples, the US captain. Scott as a five-time Presidents Cup player is the veteran of the three Australians, joined by Jason Day and Marc Leishman on debut. Day played at Royal Melbourne last time but was overly intense, and struggled. This time, he will feel more at home in a literal sense as well as figuratively, since he has lived in Columbus for the past seven years. “I don&apost know how the crowd&aposs going to react to me,” Day told the PGA Tour&aposs website this week. “That&aposs the thing. I&aposm a member there. I&aposm a local guy now. I think they&aposll cheer for me but I still think they&aposll want the Americans to win which is fair enough. “But if you&aposre kind of not a golf fan and you don&apost know that I live there, obviously you&aposre going to be rooting against me.” THE PRESIDENTS CUP Teams International: Adam Scott, Jason Day, Marc Leishman (Aust), Charl Schwartzel, Ernie Els, Branden Grace, Louis Oosthuizen, Richard Sterne, Brendan de Jonge (Sth Africa), Angel Cabrera (Argentina), Hideki Matsuyama (Japan), Graham DeLaet (Canada). USA: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Brandt Snedeker, Matt Kucher, Keegan Bradley, Jordan Speith, Jason Dufner, Steve Stricker, Bill Haas, Hunter Mahan, Webb Simpson, Zach Johnson. Format: Thursday: six four-ball matches. Friday: six foursomes matches. Saturday: five four-ball matches and five foursomes matches. Sunday: 12 singles matches. * First team to 17 1/2 points wins the Presidents Cup. Television: Fox Sports from Friday morning.
Author: Martin Blake / Golf.org.au