The eyes of Liezl Els informed the results of the 2019 Presidents Cup. Ernie’s spouse wiped away contemporary tears and tried to cover her disappointment behind a pair of outsized sun shades. Solely she actually knew the numerous hours that her husband invested as Captain of Group Worldwide. The ache of a 16-14 defeat at Royal Melbourne Golf Membership in Melbourne, Australia, will linger as a result of victory was there for the taking.
What transpired almost three years in the past in December was one of the crucial spirited competitions to this point within the Presidents Cup, a crew match-play competitors between america and the world’s finest non-European gamers. Credit score to Els for devising a method to neutralize the so-called American benefit. He threw himself head-long into his captaincy, and he turned over each stone seeking the slightest edge. He grew to become satisfied that the pairings mattered, and he developed a technique utilizing superior analytics. Els’s squad took benefit and jumped to a 6 ½-3 ½ lead.
“For those who evaluate our crew on paper with different groups in different sport, you’d have laughed us out of the constructing,” Els stated. “However we gave it a hell of a go and we got here mightily near profitable and upsetting one of many best golf groups of all time…It didn’t fairly work out, however we got here rattling shut.”
The Presidents Cup has delivered such ardour from its individuals because it debuted in 1994 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Membership in Prince William County, Virginia. (It was held there once more in 1996.) The Individuals, captained by Hale Irwin and Arnold Palmer in 1994 and 1996, respectively, received on each events in opposition to groups led by David Graham and Peter Thomson.
Royal Melbourne hosted the primary Presidents Cup exterior america in 1998, and Thomson’s Worldwide Group defeated a U.S. squad led by Jack Nicklaus. However the U.S. have been ready and acquired their vengeance in 2000 as Ken Venturi’s American aspect routed Thomson’s crew by a report margin, 21 ½-10 ½.
The terrorist assaults on america on September 11, 2001, delayed the 2002 Cup till 2003. Held in South Africa, the match was an prompt basic. Davis Love III, the U.S. Captain this go-round, participated within the first six Presidents Cups as a participant and was an assistant captain to Fred {Couples} in 2013, Jay Haas in 2015 and Steve Stricker in 2017, and he thinks about his function within the final result of the 2003 Cup on a regular basis. He nonetheless regrets that he didn’t ship within the clutch in South Africa, website of the notorious tie.
“I screwed the entire thing up,” Love stated. “I had performed a extremely good match from tee to inexperienced and had lipped out a bunch of putts and acquired to the final gap main Robert Allenby 1 up, so I solely wanted to tie (that gap) and we’d have received the Cup.”
The ending gap on the Hyperlinks Course at Fancourt Lodge and Nation Membership is a par 5 and Love cut up the green along with his drive. When he arrived at his ball, U.S. Captain Jack Nicklaus was ready there and suggested him that many gamers had overshot the inexperienced.
“In fact, I panicked and hit an enormous flare to the suitable and brief, chili-dipped it and gave Allenby the opening,” Love recalled.
That meant a playoff for the primary time within the historical past of the competitors, with Tiger Woods chosen to signify the American aspect in opposition to Ernie Els in his place of origin. The stalemate couldn’t be damaged after three playoff holes. As darkness descended, Captains Nicklaus and Gary Participant agreed to share the Cup.
“Tiger claims that I put him in a horrible scenario having to play Ernie in South Africa. I stated, ‘I set you as much as be a hero.’ I sat up on the hill with my head in my palms watching these guys play in the dead of night going there’s no purpose we ought to be taking part in now,” Love remembers. “Nicklaus won’t let it go. He’ll say, ‘For those who had simply hit the 4-iron on the inexperienced we’d’ve received.’ I set him up for one more nice second of sportsmanship in his legacy.”
Nicklaus oversaw his U.S. crew edge Participant’s Worldwide squad within the subsequent two editions, performed in 2005 once more at Robert Trent Jones Golf Membership in Virginia and in 2007 at Royal Montreal Golf Membership in Canada.
Fred {Couples} took over the captaincy for the U.S. aspect in 2009, and the Individuals made it three in a row at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. In 2011, Royal Melbourne once more hosted however the Internationals couldn’t cease the U.S. profitable streak. Neither may Nick Value within the captain’s function push the Internationals into the victory column in 2013 at Nicklaus’ Muirfield Village Golf Membership in Dublin, Ohio, as {Couples} captains efficiently for a 3rd time. Woods received the deciding level for the U.S. in all three wins beneath {Couples}.
In 2015, the Presidents Cup made its first foray into Asia on the Jack Nicklaus Golf Membership Korea in Incheon Metropolis, South Korea. Captain Jay Haas watched his son, Invoice, win the deciding level within the final Singles match because the U.S. edged Value and the Internationals for the sixth straight victory. The U.S. aspect dominated in 2017 again on residence soil at Liberty Nationwide Golf Membership in Jersey Metropolis, New Jersey, claiming the primary 4 crew classes and needing only one level to clinch heading into Sunday’s singles.
The Presidents Cup returned to Royal Melbourne for a 3rd time in 2019 and delivered one of the crucial intently contested matches within the biennial occasion’s historical past.
The close-but-no-cigar consequence meant the crew’s report within the biennial occasion is 1-11-1 and it hasn’t received in 1 / 4 century – a shedding streak that dates to 1998. It’s a doubtful distinction and one which The Worldwide aspect intends to rectify beneath the management of one other South African.
Trevor Immelman, the 2008 Masters champion and lead analyst for CBS Sports activities’ golf protection starting subsequent 12 months, takes over the reins from Els this time and can lead his 12-man crew into battle at Quail Hole Membership in Charlotte. In two Presidents Cup look in 2005 and 2007, he compiled a 1-6-1 report. Immelman is assured his aspect has turned a nook. He hopes to construct on the blueprint for victory that Els carried out in 2019.
Immelman famous that he has “actually and bodily large sneakers to fill,” however “Ernie for the primary time gave our crew an identification and one thing to attempt to construct off. You recognize, we nearly acquired there.”
Maybe the largest hurdle for the Worldwide crew at all times has been making a crew ambiance with gamers from so many various international locations, completely different cultures and talking completely different languages.
“We signify a big portion of the world,” Immelman stated. “Final time in Australia we had eight completely different areas represented. So we have now to attempt to bridge these gaps from a communication and tradition standpoint, so these are the issues that we work actually arduous on.”
“Generally you met the man for the primary time on Tuesday afternoon of the competitors,” Worldwide Group assistant captain Geoff Ogilvy stated. “I didn’t know Okay.T. Kim (in 2011). By Saturday we’re nice associates however it took till Saturday.”
Has Els set the wheels in movement to finish the U.S. domination by almost pulling off an inconceivable upset? Will one other loss diminish the crew’s aggressive spirit or ignite an intense rivalry?
Nobody has endured shedding on the Presidents Cup fairly like Adam Scott. The Australian has represented the Worldwide Group 9 instances – this 12 months marks his tenth – within the biennial competitors since 2003, however he has but to style victory. As Ogilvy put it, “Adam is burning to win one among these.”
His resolve has not been damaged.
“I’ve taken loads of licks on this factor,” Scott stated. “However I’ve at all times taken one thing so optimistic from this occasion. So many optimistic issues have occurred, so I don’t see this occasion as an actual unfavorable for me. I like what’s occurring sooner or later and I can’t wait for one more crack at it.”
Immelman is sort of conversant in the Queen Metropolis from competing
within the Wells Fargo Championship, the place he as soon as completed second, shedding a sudden-death playoff in 2006 to Jim Furyk, and from visiting his mother and father, who previously resided there.
At 42, he would be the youngest man to captain both aspect and he and his males will face a troublesome take a look at. Immelman served as an assistant captain in 2019 and as a TV broadcaster for CBS Sports activities and Golf Channel witnessed first-hand the USA’s youthful brigade and the way it dismantled Europe within the 2021 Ryder Cup.
Add in the truth that the Internationals are taking part in on international soil and has by no means received an away match and it may very well be an uphill battle. However at the least most of Immelman’s crew could have expertise on the structure from taking part in within the Wells Fargo Championship or in the course of the 2017 PGA Championship.
“I wrestle to consider a greater place to carry a crew occasion like this,” Immelman stated of Quail Hole. “The Inexperienced Mile goes to be an unbelievable place to observe the strain factors of the match. There’s simply nowhere to cover on these holes.
“The golf course has at all times been one among my favorites on the PGA Tour, and I consider from a match play standpoint, it’s going to be extraordinarily thrilling,” Love stated. “The best way the routing is deliberate out, I see like a seven- or eight-hole stretch the place we’re going to have drivable par-4s, we’re going to have par-5s, we’ve acquired all these holes with water in play. It’s going to be incredible to get the gang actually revved up supporting their residence crew, and I simply can’t wait.”
Love has taken the accountability severely nearly from the minute the usside clinched the Ryder Cup final September.
“We simply acquired executed with it on Sunday, and the blokes stated, ‘Are you going residence? What are you doing?’ and I am going, ‘No, I’m going to Presidents Cup. Midnight it begins Presidents Cup 12 months.’ ”
Love has been waiting for the Presidents Cup ever since, however he received’t fall prey to assuming his crew will march to a straightforward victory.
“They may carry 12 Korn Ferry guys and so they may very well be actually good. I’m not going to get into it being straightforward,” Love stated. “You’ve acquired to win each session. That’s going to be the problem. I really feel unhealthy for Trevor that a few of his big-name guys have left him. Plus, we have now home-field benefit with a extremely good crew so expectations are excessive.”
Each Captains have participated in sufficient editions of the Presidents Cup to share the assumption of Nicklaus, a four-time U.S. captain of the occasion, who stated, “The Presidents Cup is as a lot about sportsmanship, goodwill and charity as it’s about competitors.”
Irrespective of the consequence, these 24 gamers no they’ve been a part of one thing particular, one thing they may at all times keep in mind, and have had an opportunity to signify their nation in worldwide competitors.
“You wait so lengthy, and it seems like time stands nonetheless, after which the event begins, and it’s simply over within the blink of an eye fixed,” Immelman stated, “and on the finish of the week you’re simply strolling round giving folks hugs saying, ‘I’ve acquired to get on this crew subsequent time.’”
