Presidents Cup
changes its tune. In 2028 it returns to Australia, thought to be the only country which can afford the huge expense of hosting it. To foster the game of golf, the PGA Tour should be paying for the match to be played in the likes of Japan, Thailand, India, New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa, not placing a financial burden on the host countries. They could do so with the profits they make from their home matches. The presence of more Asian players in the International team over the last decade has helped sustain the interest in the Presidents Cup. There were five Asians competing in the first seven matches between 1994 and 2007, and 13 in the eight matches from 2009 onwards. Five played in the 2019, 2022 Koreans Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim were two of the International stars, understanding better than anyone at this Presidents Cup that sports, at its core, is entertainment. They were more than happy to be performers.
and 2024 International teams. They embrace the match as competitively as the European team members do at the Ryder Cup and have a stronger belief in victory compared to some of the other nationalities. The best chance of the Internationals ever beating the Americans would be in a match in Tokyo or Seoul or Bangkok with a team heavily laden with Asian representatives. Here’s some facts from the last five Presidents Cup matches which should be presented to the 2026 International team captain before he selects his team. Firstly, Asian players have scored 38 points in those five matches, way more than any other nation, and a greater number of them should be involved going forward. Secondly, Australians
(and the odd Kiwi) no longer add much value to the team, with just 23 points. Thirdly, it would be better for everyone if no Canadians were considered for selection in 2026. The Maple Leaf representatives, other than Graham DeLaet at the 2013 match, appear to have an inferiority complex when it comes to playing head-to-head with Americans, and we saw this again in Montreal. In the last four matches they have scored 7 points from 28 matches. That’s a loss-rate of 75 percent. Adam Scott has been the exception among Australians in the past decade, and a titanic team member since his debut for the Internationals at Fancourt in 2003. This year he again showed his incredible passion for the match and
66 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
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