The Presidents Cup should be one of the best events of the golf year. It’s an exciting team event and in a format, match play, that we almost never get any more in the modern game. These team events with the best players in the world are rare and fun to watch when we get them.
Presidents Cup 2015 picks and predictions: The USA should dominate the world again
The USA vs. the World! Jordan Spieth vs. Jason Day! Team match play events are often the best weeks in golf and the SB Nation golf staff duffs around some picks and predictions for the week in Korea.
But the Presidents Cup has become a one-sided American affair and this year, the US side is heavily favored again. The Internationals (all non-European Ryder Cuppers) have Jason Day, but a lack of depth (view final rosters here) puts them at a disadvantage in what is technically a "home" game in Korea. Here are some of the major themes and predictions for the 11th edition of the Presidents Cup.
Are you happy with the final US roster?
Emily: Meh. With the page definitively turned from the narrative of the old guys to that of the next generation, picking someone from the rookie ranks of Daniel Berger, Justin Thomas and Tony Finau -- rather than captain Jay Haas’ boy, Bill -- to join Jordan Spieth and the rest of the same ol’ usual suspects (we’re looking at you, Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar and Zach Johnson) might have infused some youthful energy into the proceedings. Mickelson is back by popular demand of the players, apparently. It will be interesting to see how Lefty performs, inside the ropes and in the all-important ping pong room, in what could be his PC swan song.
Trevor: Not to beat a dead horse here (our friends at No Laying Up have done it enough), but I would have loved to see Brooks Koepka make the squad. I guess I understand the Mickelson, Haas and Holmes picks, but an up and coming star would have added a little juice to the squad in the same way Reed and Spieth did at last year’s Ryder Cup.
Speaking of the Ryder Cup, Koepka could have gained great team experience. I know two different organizations run the two events, but surely a Task Force could bridge the gap and have the Presidents Cup act as a feeder to the Ryder Cup. Or maybe I don’t understand what a Task Force does.
Brendan: I doubt the Presidents Cup and the PGA Tour would ever acquiesce to serving as a “feeder” system for the more appealing and competitive Ryder Cup, but I get your point.
I think we all WANT to see the team mixing in these younger stars like Thomas, Koepka, Horschel et al. It’s just that there wasn’t a lot of wiggle room to do that this time around. They did not qualify on points. Haas took the first man out, 11th in the standings, who happened to be his kid. He then took Mickelson because everyone on the team already qualified told him to.
Koepka has the biggest gripe, no doubt, and he’s someone we needed to get reps. Taking J.B. Holmes over him as the fill-in for an injured Furyk is a spot where Haas can be cut and critiqued. I just wish there had been more room to maneuver a few more young names in there. Haas did not really have it, which is unfortunate given the amazing transitional year and rise of the 20-somethings we just had.
Who or what is your biggest concern for the International team?
Emily: Team USA.
Trevor: From a USA perspective, there is some experience, albeit losing, and form on the International side. We all know what Jason Day is capable of. Danny Lee has been very solid. If Adam Scott gets hot, maybe the International team can come in and steal this thing.
Brendan: I mean ... everything? They really do not have the depth and this American team is far stronger than even the one from just a year ago that went into the Ryder Cup.
It’s a little distressing, and several of the Golf Channel talking heads alluded to this, that a few of the Internationals seem resigned already. Adam Scott, the face of his side for the past few Presidents Cups, is not playing well and fallen off the map. There are reports that some are murmuring this week that they’re ready to drop this from their schedule and either rest up or play some other event. Thaaaat does not seem like an encouraging frame before we’ve even hit a shot or played a match.
(Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
Who or what is your biggest concern for the American side?
Emily: Other than Jason Day, ennui.
Trevor: That they don't really care. Look, they shouldn't care. This event is basically an afterthought, BUT they have to win it. The Americans have dominated this thing and a loss would be embarrassing.
Brendan: Hmm, you really have to think on this one. That Jay Haas and his band of assistants completely whiff on the pairings? The Zach Johnson-Phil Mickelson duo for the first session already makes no damn sense. Ennui is a good word for it -- they certainly are not as tense as they get for the Ryder Cup, which could be a good thing.
This obviously does not have the appeal or competitiveness of the Ryder Cup. Would you change anything? What changes would you make?
Brendan: Keep reducing the number of matches and points. International captain Nick Price successfully lobbied the PGA Tour to get the event reduced from 34 points down to 30, but he wanted to get it all the way down to 28, which is where the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup sit. The last four to six players on the International side just cannot match the American depth, so playing fewer guys early in the week when it can become a blowout seems like one way to make it more competitive.
Outside of that, it’s difficult. You hope the game is spreading globally and that there will be a crop of players from Asia and elsewhere, who can add depth to the typically Australian and South African heavy roster in the coming years.
Emily: Short of eliminating it altogether, shorten it by at least a day, maybe two. If three days works for the Ryder Cup, which golf fans actually care about, then it’s good enough for this opposite-year event that’s on the road to oblivion.
If the Prez Cup has not gone the way of anchored putting by 2017, have John Daly lead the Americans’ charge. Captain Loudmouth wants to skipper the Ryder Cup, which of course will never happen. So, why not inject a dose of good old American fun -- and, while we’re at it, suit the boys up in ensembles borrowing generously from Big John’s stars and stripes collection. Phil gets it -- he showed up at Monday night’s team dinner in USA flag pants.
Who will have the most awkward celebration?
Emily: Gotta like Matt Kuchar for this one, what with that clumsy Tiger Woods-Fresh Prince performance and all.
Trevor: If by awkward you mean awesome, I hope to God that Patrick Reed does something crazy again. He completely changed his public perception by taunting the hell out of the European fans at last year’s Ryder Cup. Suddenly he became #golftwitter’s darling. I hope he does something crazy again. It will be awkward and awesome at the same time.
Nominees for some on-course tension or cutting off-course comments? Most likely to create some Solheim Cup-style drama? Give us something!
Trevor: See my previous answer. Patrick Reed certainly has the capability of being the villain.
Emily: So far, Nick Price, for strongly hinting that unless his Internationals win, or at least make it a game, the “repercussions” for the Prez Cup could be dire. And by that he means, doomed.
On the course, everyone’s clamoring for a Spieth-Jason Day matchup in Sunday singles. While it’s unlikely to spark fireworks, a shootout between the world Nos. 1 and 2 is really a no-brainer for the captains.
Then there’s Bubba. In South Korea -- where law prohibits silent mode on cellphones.
Brendan: I just don’t see it -- everyone loves each other or is too timid to say otherwise. Bubba dealing with the camera clicks may be fun. Adam Scott seems surly these days, so maybe he has a run-in with and overzealous American player.
Who do you expect, either as a single or a pairing, to either carry or lead the Americans?
Emily: In a replay of their 2014 Ryder Cup success, Spieth and Patrick Reed.
Brendan: It looks like Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker will play together, and may play every single session. The DJ-Spieth duo in the first session will get all the publicity, and rightly so, but Rickie and Jimmy seem like the best bets to put the most American points on the board.
Who do you expect, either as a single or a pairing, to either carry or lead the Europeans?
Emily: Jason Day. That is all.
Brendan: Jason Day, Hideki Matsuyama -- maybe Danny Lee mixes it up, given his 2015 breakout season. There are no obvious answers after Day. The International side is full of world-class players, they’re just not the same class as the American team from 1 through 12. It doesn’t mean they can’t win, there’s just no obvious answers and they will need a few unexpected players to get hot.
The Americans are the heavy favorites. Who takes the Cup and what’s the final tally?
Emily: Team USA ends the Ryder Cup’s nerdy kid brother of an event once and for all by wiping the course with the Internationals -- 20-10.
Trevor: USA all the way and by many points. (I’m too lazy to look up point totals, but let’s say a lot.) I can’t wait for this year’s drunk team photo.
Brendan: Last year, I tried to talk myself into the Americans challenging the heavily favored Euros in the Ryder Cup and just could not find a sensible path. The same holds this year for the International side. I want this to be a game. This is just a huge mismatch and the Haas’ side is on form after an incredible year for American golf. USA wins, 18-12.
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