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The Presidents Cup is all set to take place from September 24th to 29th in Montreal. For the unversed, the prestigious tournament is played between the US and an International team, consisting of players from across the world with the exception of Europe.
With six members already automatically qualified for both teams, this week the captains made their six wildcard picks to complete their 12-man roster. The International Team captain, Mike Weir, chose Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa, Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith, and Mackenzie Hughes of Canada, Si Woo Kim of South Korea, and Min Woo Lee of Australia. Lee and Hughes will be making their Presidents Cup debut this year.
The automatic qualifiers for the International Team are Sungjae Im, Byeong-Hun An and Tom Kim of South Korea, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, and Adam Scott and Jason Day of Australia.
After the wildcard choices were announced, fans online reacted to the captain's picks. Some didn't agree with Mike Weir's choices and felt Canadian golfer Nick Taylor deserved a spot on the team. One fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
"If he was intent on three Canadians, it should have been Nick Taylor instead of Mac Hughes."
"Not one is a better golfer than Nick Taylor, just sayin," a fan wrote.
"No Hadwin or Nick Taylor? Thought we’d see 5 Canadians," another wrote.
"Davis and Taylor robbed tbh," one fan commented.
"Can Davis? Nick Taylor? Yikes. Enjoy the L," another wrote.
LIV Golf players were unable to qualify for the Presidents Cup as according to the rules, all participants must be eligible to play in PGA Tour-sanctioned events, which players on LIV Golf aren't. A few fans online were displeased with their absence.
"No Joaquin Niemann, No Cam Smith, No Louis Oosthuizen, No Dean Burmester, No Carlos Ortiz.... the President's Cup is irrelevant. Liv Golf PGA," one said.
However, several others were happy with Mike Weir's choices and the International Team. One fan wrote:
"W picks"
"Cam Davis must be pissed off right now. And Hughes is in better form than Taylor right now, and he's a vet, hence why he got picked. 3 Canadians should keep Royal Montreal rocking the whole tourney. Too bad Taylor and Hadwin couldn't make it 5," a fan opined.
"You’re not going to like this, but this is going to be a tough team to beat," another wrote.
While the International Team picks may have garnered mixed reactions, it will all boil down to how the side performs at Royal Montreal at the end of this month. The Presidents Cup will be the only litmus test for Weir's choices.
"You get sick of losing" - International Team captain Mike Weir on Presidents Cup
All these years, the Presidents Cup has been a lopsided affair with the US always dominating the field. The International Team has won the tournament only once in 1998. The side also managed to force a tie in 2003.
Historically, the statistics don't look good for the International squad. Recently, the team's captain Mike Weir spoke to NBC about the upcoming Presidents Cup. He was asked whether the side's losing streak was a motivation for the current team or if the records were "unhelpful". Weir said (via the PGA Tour):
"I think it's like an unspoken thing, that the guys just know. You get sick of losing."
He also said that while the experienced and the young players bring a different energy, they are still focused on the same thing.
"And you think someone like Adam Scott, it's his 11th Cup, (he is) very motivated. He is having great summers playing great. Someone like that, they know the history, they have been a part of that history for a long time. And they want to change that narrative. Young guys are just motivated to get in there and win and to be a part of the winning team."
Weir also spoke about what he considered a good sign for the team.
"So, it's not really something we talk about or has to be said. It's more like [they're] excited to be a part of the team. They like each other. They like what we are doing. And they are buying into what we are doing. So, that's a great sign for me."
The team will start their Presidents Cup campaign with fourball on Thursday. According to Weir, statistics have shown that fourball is favorable for the current team and that they have some strong pairings lined up for the match play.
The 2024 Presidents Cup will take place at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The International Team will find a lot of support from the crowd, especially with four Canadians in the side.
