Stephen Keating
Toronto – Saudi Arabia has never participated in the Presidents Cup, which sets the greatest American players against the best from the rest of the world — excluding Europe — every two years.
This week, however, the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit will be in the midst of the action at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, as the animosity between it and the PGA Tour continues to develop, affecting both teams.
The PGA Tour organizes the Presidents Cup, whereas LIV Golf, funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has been aggressively poaching players, wooing away some of golf’s top names with astounding sums of money.
As a result of the PGA Tour’s retaliatory suspension of players who joined the renegade circuit, both teams will be missing key players when play resumes on Thursday.
Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka, LIV defectors and major winners, will be unavailable to the United States.
It is now time.
Week of the @PresidentsCup https://twitter.com/VQdc652seb
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) September 19, 2022
Six-time major champion and LIV Golf’s top recruit Phil Mickelson, who has played in more Presidents Cups (12) and more matches (55) than anybody else, probably would not have made the squad on merit, but very surely would have earned a place as an ambassador or co-captain.
Their absence will have little effect on a formidable American team that still features three of the world’s top five players, led by world number one Scottie Scheffler.
The 12-man International squad cannot come close to matching the depth of U.S. skill, and the loss of Australian Cameron Smith, the Open and Players champion this year, is a devastating blow to their chances of winning the Presidents Cup for the second time.
At Quail, acquaintances are made. #USTeam #PresidentsCup pic.twitter.com/FHcecW2fxt
19 September 2022 — Presidents Cup (@PresidentsCup)
Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, Joaquin Niemann of Chile, and Abraham Ancer of Mexico are also unavailable to International captain Trevor Immelman, who has selected an unprecedented eight Presidents Cup rookies.
Adam Scott, playing in his tenth Presidents Cup, and Hideki Matsuyama, playing in his fifth, are the only players of the team to have participated in multiple Presidents Cups.
In thirteen prior Presidents Cups, the International team has won only once, in 1998 when the competition was held in Australia.
Every other Presidents Cup has been won by the United States, with the exception of the 2003 Presidents Cup in South Africa, which finished in a tie.
In 2017, the previous time the United States hosted the tournament at Liberty National, they entered Sunday’s singles with a 14-3 1/2 lead and cruised to a 19-11 triumph.
Fears are that an inexperienced International team could be in for a humiliating defeat in Quail Hollow, where they will have home advantage and the support of 40,000 loud fans.
“We will represent underdogs in every aspect of life across the globe,” admitted Immelman. “Whether it’s business, sports, or schoolchildren, he excels.
“We always look forward to the Presidents Cup.
“Over the years, if you look at the history books, everyone knows we’ve been kicked in the shins, but that doesn’t mean we won’t compete with vigor and attempt to win.”
Reuters