The U.S. staff captured the Presidents Cup once more, taking down the Worldwide staff 17½ to 12½ at Quail Hole Membership in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday. It was the Individuals’ ninth straight victory and twelfth in 14 editions of the occasion.
Over 5 days, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas emerged because the face of American staff golf, now that Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed are competing on the LIV Golf circuit. South Korea’s Tom Kim turned a family title, and the Worldwide staff confirmed a variety of coronary heart in competing higher than anticipated.
Listed here are 5 issues we discovered this week at Quail Hole:
These guys like one another
Everybody wants somebody to like them like JT loves Jordan, and vice versa.
There is no query the Worldwide staff has inherent hurdles the Individuals do not should take care of, beginning with language obstacles, cultural variations and unfamiliarity with one another.
Worldwide staff captain Trevor Immelman wasn’t exaggerating (that a lot) when he referred to as this U.S. staff the best ever assembled. The 12-man U.S. squad included 5 of the highest 10 gamers within the Official World Golf Rating. Every of them was within the high 25.
And when U.S. staff captain Davis Love III can roll out the tandems of Thomas-Spieth and Xander Schauffele-Patrick Cantlay every session, it is like having Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander in a five-game sequence.
Spieth and Thomas, who’ve recognized one another since they have been children, went 4-0 in foursomes and four-ball matches. Cantlay and Schauffele, who’re associates, each hail from California and received the PGA Tour staff occasion in New Orleans this previous season, went 2-1. The gamers went a mixed 3-1 in singles.
“It is actually enjoyable, proper?” Spieth stated earlier this week. “He is my finest good friend in the entire world. We have performed a variety of golf collectively. We have performed a variety of golf towards one another. Now we have performed fairly a bit with one another. There’s nothing extra enjoyable than these staff occasions, enjoying alongside JT.”
When it seemed just like the Presidents Cup would possibly flip into one other rout on Friday, some of the thrilling issues to observe was Spieth and Thomas feeding off one another, fist bumping, chest bumping and screaming at one another alongside the best way.
“Having the chance to not solely win some extent to your staff however win some extent with certainly one of your finest associates, it is simply a type of issues,” Thomas stated. “We all know one another’s video games. We all know how you can feed off one another. We all know how you can assist one another. We all know how you can keep out of one another’s means.”
And that is what makes the core of U.S. stars so harmful in staff occasions going ahead. LIV Golf might need truly completed the Individuals a favor by luring away Reed, who was popularly often called “Captain America” by followers however wasn’t so fashionable within the staff locker room. Reed infamously complained of captain Jim Furyk’s “buddy system” in selecting pairings on the 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris, which the Individuals misplaced, 17½ to 10½.
The 12 gamers who competed for the U.S. this week genuinely appeared to love one another. There wasn’t an elephant within the room due to Bryson DeChambeau’s ongoing beef with Brooks Koepka, or as a result of Reed was sad about having to play with Tiger Woods as a substitute of Spieth.
Just a few occasions this previous week, Presidents Cup rookie Max Homa, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, talked about that he wasn’t significantly near anybody else on the U.S. staff. However when Homa stated it once more throughout a information convention after Sunday’s victory, Sam Burns quipped, “Love you, Max.”
“Love you, Sam,” Homa replied.
“Sam’s an ideal instance of any individual I’ve at all times gotten together with nice and any individual I used to be trying ahead to attending to spend actual time with,” Homa stated.
Tom Kim is a celebrity
The South Korean phenom’s title is Joohyung Kim, however he prefers Tom, a childhood nickname given to him due to his fondness for Thomas the Tank Engine. Today the 20-year-old has as a lot steam constructing as his namesake.
After profitable the Wyndham Championship for his first PGA Tour victory a month in the past, Kim’s professional debut in a staff occasion was a coming-out social gathering. He was the youngest participant on both staff and the third youngest to ever compete within the Presidents Cup, behind solely Ryo Ishikawa and Jordan Spieth.
Kim went 2-3 in matches this week, and he was the heart beat of the Worldwide Workforce and a crowd favourite at Quail Hole Membership due to his exuberant celebrations. On Sunday, Kim confirmed up on the first tee sporting sun shades and egging the gang to cheer. He was a rock star.
Tom Kim has arrived 😎 @JoohyungKim0621 is able to roll @IntlTeam. pic.twitter.com/Zl9gI8avBH
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 25, 2022
After dropping his first two matches, Kim and his companions no less than gave the Worldwide Workforce a glimmer of hope on Saturday.
Within the Saturday morning foursomes, Kim paired with South Korea’s Okay.H. Lee to take down world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns. That afternoon, Kim and Si Woo Kim surprised the seemingly unbeatable tandem of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele in four-ball competitors. Kim had an eagle on the par-4 eleventh gap after which made a 10-footer for birdie on the 18th to defeat Cantlay and Schauffele.
“I feel the sky is the restrict,” stated Kim’s caddie, Joe Skovron, who was on Rickie Fowler’s bag till lately. “Once you’re 20 years previous and you have already received as a lot as he has all over the world and to reply on this setting like he did, you recognize, and he appears to have a piece ethic to go along with it and a plan. “
Homa is not dangerous, both
It is tough to think about that not way back Homa did not have a lot confidence in his recreation. He was one of many funniest professional golfers on Twitter (and nonetheless is), however he did not have a lot to indicate for his work by way of outcomes. On the finish of the 2020 season, he was seventieth within the FedEx Cup standings.
Since February 2021, nonetheless, Homa has received 4 occasions on tour. He received the Genesis Invitational in 2021, the Fortinet Championship and Wells Fargo Championship this previous season after which defended his Fortinet Championship title in Napa, California, final week. He did not arrive in Charlotte for his Presidents Cup debut till early Monday morning.
Homa, 31, delivered a signature second of the Presidents Cup on Friday. Enjoying with Billy Horschel, their match towards Canada’s Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners was tied after 16 holes. Homa made a 12-foot birdie putt on the seventeenth gap to go 1 up. Then, after Pendrith made a clutch 15-footer for birdie on the 18th, Homa made one other 12-footer to win the match.
After defeating Tom Kim on Sunday, Homa improved to 4-0 in his Presidents Cup debut. He’s solely the fourth Presidents Cup rookie to go 4-0-0 or higher in his debut.
“I’ve stated it 1,000,000 occasions, however final yr, at Kiawah [Island], doing the becoming for the Ryder Cup, realizing I did not actually have a lot of an opportunity anymore was robust,” Homa stated. “Taking a look at your self within the mirror and all of the USA gear, it was arduous. However I’ve acquired a factor seared into my mind, and my important focus this season was to make this staff, to play with these guys.
“Lots went into that. And to be right here was one factor, after which to return out and play some nice golf was one other. And this week has been past particular, validating, significant, all the above. It meant lots.”
The PGA Tour wants extra superstars, particularly after so many huge names like Dustin Johnson, DeChambeau, Cameron Smith and others defected to LIV Golf. The tour ought to embrace Homa’s persona greater than ever earlier than.
The Worldwide staff is getting nearer
Regardless of dropping for the ninth consecutive time and the twelfth time in 14 Presidents Cups, Worldwide staff captain Trevor Immelman believes his squad is getting nearer to profitable. The Worldwide staff was a large underdog this week, particularly after Smith, the No. 3 participant on this planet, Marc Leishman, Abraham Ancer, Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquin Niemann left for LIV Golf.
Whereas Thomas and Spieth and Burns and Scheffler have been longtime associates, and most of the U.S. gamers dwell close to one another in Florida and Texas, the Worldwide staff’s gamers are scattered across the globe, making their dynamic totally different.
Immelman insists his staff has made nice progress in addressing the hurdles it faces. He credit Ernie Els with beginning the transformation earlier than the earlier Presidents Cup in Australia in 2019. Els launched the Worldwide staff’s defend, which is on the gamers’ uniforms, golf luggage and hats. They have been promoting merchandise with the defend at Quail Hole this week.
Whereas others have prompt that dramatic adjustments are wanted to the Presidents Cup, from bringing in girls golfers to permitting LIV Golf gamers to compete, Immelman thinks his staff will proceed to enhance.
“Now we have a system that we like and a plan and a method, and it feels prefer to me, you recognize, this was an vital week for us simply to only lay a pair extra bricks on this home that we’re making an attempt to construct,” Immelman stated. “We’re right here for the long term on this occasion. We’ll win this occasion. So we’ll maintain constructing. We’ll maintain combating. In some unspecified time in the future, we’ll win.”
Love additionally would not imagine the format must be modified.
“There wasn’t any discuss from both of our groups, Trevor’s or ours, about altering the format,” Love stated. “We’re having a variety of enjoyable, and we like it, and our staff seems ahead to subsequent yr in Italy after which the subsequent yr in Canada.”
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan additionally believes the Worldwide staff is headed on the best path.
“Two of the final three have been extraordinarily aggressive,” Monahan advised ESPN this week. “I feel what Ernie and Trevor have began right here by way of constructing a staff and constructing a tradition, having been type of inside that and perceive that and seeing that evolve and being near it, they’re constructing one thing that’s sustainable and actually particular and aspirational. Each participant on that Worldwide squad needs to be on that staff, desperately.”
The following Presidents Cup is scheduled at Royal Montreal Golf Membership on Sept. 24-29, 2024.
What concerning the 2023 Ryder Cup?
If the Individuals’ 19-9 victory over Europe within the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits wasn’t sufficient proof, the U.S. staff’s dominance at Quail Hole was additional proof of simply how good and deep this roster is.
The following huge staff occasion is the 2023 Ryder Cup, which is scheduled for Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at Marco Simone Golf Membership exterior Rome, Italy.
So long as they’re wholesome, as many as 10 gamers is likely to be again on that U.S. roster. And do not forget that Will Zalatoris, the No. 8 participant on this planet, would have been on the Presidents Cup staff if not for a again harm. It appears unlikely that Kevin Kisner and maybe Billy Horschel shall be again, though they might play themselves again into rivalry for a roster spot.
The European staff shall be led by Northern Eire’s Rory McIlroy, the No. 2 participant on this planet, and Spain’s Jon Rahm, who’s No. 6. After being walloped in Wisconsin, the European staff in all probability wanted a face carry and transfusion of vitality. It’s going to get one after Ryder Cup veterans Paul Casey, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia joined LIV Golf.
The highest of the European roster is fairly robust. U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, Norway’s Viktor Hovland and Eire’s Shane Lowry are robust. England’s Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood are able to enjoying nice golf. Thomas Pieters, Sepp Straka and Seamus Energy are rising as constant gamers. Italy’s Guido Migliozzi and Denmark’s Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard are younger however proficient.
The problem for the American staff shall be profitable a Ryder Cup on overseas soil, which it hasn’t completed since 1993.
“I feel that profitable at house is particular in its personal means, and there is nothing that beats it,” Spieth stated. “However going over there on the street and profitable can be extremely particular subsequent yr, and I actually hope I am part of the staff.
“And the type of staff rooms that I’ve talked about that we have had the previous couple of years, it will keep that means, and I am very assured in our potential to go over there and win. You possibly can inform me the final time it occurred over there, however no person right here has any scar tissue. All people on this panel would very a lot embrace what that appears like subsequent yr.”
