The scoreboard didn’t inform the total story.
The US staff defeated the Internationals 18.5-11.5 at Royal Montreal Golf Membership and the rating line alone appears to help the views that the Presidents Cup is dying due to the one-sided nature of the biennial occasion.
The Individuals prevailing for a tenth straight time because the Internationals recorded their lowest ever factors tally when internet hosting the occasion makes for grim studying, however this Presidents Cup was completely different.
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It was filled with ardour from either side, the Canadian crowd have been loud, and plenty of the matches have been balanced on a knife’s edges as they might have gone both method however for a lip out, a foul bounce or a freakish shot right here or there.
The truth is, it was so tight that 13 of the 30 matches have been selected the 18th inexperienced – six American wins, 4 Worldwide wins, and three ties was the breakdown of these nail-biters.
Plus, seven different matches completed one gap later and the US dominated these contests with six wins.
The preventing spirit of the Internationals was admirable as, based mostly on expertise, they have been all the time going to be up towards.
Each American sits inside the highest 25 within the Official World Golf Rankings, in comparison with solely 4 Internationals being ranked that top together with Hideki Matsuyama as their solely high ten participant.
However the tenacity of the brand new technology of Worldwide gamers made this Presidents Cup an exhilarating affair.
As golf reporter Dan Rappaport defined: ”When folks speak about how one-sided the outcomes of the Presidents Cup have been, don’t forget how a lot enjoyable the precise competitors has been to look at,” he posted on X
“On the finish of the day, that’s what that is: leisure. And Saturday was entertaining as hell.”
Tom Kim FIRED UP after superior placing | 01:21
YOUNG TALENT BRING FIRE AND BRIMSTONE
There was no love misplaced between the 2 groups throughout the 4 days of heated competitors, and Tom Kim was within the thick of it.
The 22-year-old Korean star by no means took a backwards step as he and good buddy Scottie Scheffler bought in one another’s faces as they traded giant celebrations when making birdie putts of their fiery four-ball conflict on Thursday.
He sat out on Friday earlier than ramping the stress up a notch on Saturday when he expressed his displeasure with Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay when they didn’t give me a ‘gimme’ from shut vary.
Huge celebrations adopted when he and Si Woo Kim gained holes from then on, and post-round he dropped a bombshell that the Individuals had been “cursing at them” all through the course of the day.
Then on X, teammate Byeong Hun An carried on the drama by quote tweeting “you all the time have a man in your group, who doesn’t do s— however speak s— all day” in response to a video from the PGA Tour’s official account of Wyndham Clark mocking Si Woo Kim’s ‘night time, night time’ celebration.
An later deleted his tweet and posted once more saying “I’m deleting my tweet. My apologies. I need to be a greater individual than that”.
The primary takeaway from the feuding is that the Worldwide staff deeply care.
Critics have all the time lamented how gamers from various corners of the world can unite beneath a single banner.
They’ve carried out so since 2019 within the type of ‘the defend’ which is emblazoned on their shirts, jumpers and caps on track, and Adam Scott believes it has genuinely created a greater sense of belonging throughout the staff.
Tom Kim utterly agrees and is fired up already on the prospect of a return bout at Medinah Nation Membership outdoors of Chicago in two years’ time earlier than heading to Kingston Heath in Melbourne in 2028.
“I simply assume we’re hungry. I’m certain the American staff feels the identical method. However once you lose so many instances, I really feel like there’s all the time a narrative the place folks come again,” Kim stated.
“Successful doesn’t final endlessly. There’s ultimately instances once you’re going to lose. There’s going to be instances the place lip-outs are going to go our method. A couple of breaks, a number of bounces are going to go our method, and that’s going to make a distinction.
“We play nice and we preserve falling quick generally, however I’m not dropping hope. I’m going to help actually, actually exhausting. I don’t have a voice anymore and I’m going to lose it extra immediately, however I actually consider that our followers can deliver us on and hopefully quickly we’ll have an opportunity to win the Cup.”
Si Woo Kim’s unbelievable chip to win gap | 01:34
POSSIBLE MERGER TO BENEFIT INTERNATIONALS?
An underlying issue from the previous two Presidents Cup has been the erosion of the Worldwide staff’s depth as a result of LIV golfers are barred from participating.
You can’t assist however consider the presence of Australian star Cameron Smith together with the likes of 25-year-old Chilean Jaoquin Niemann would have helped the Internationals this week.
The Individuals are in fact lacking superstars of their very own like Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, however they’ve larger depth to cowl these losses.
4-time main champion Ernie Els – who has beforehand captained Worldwide staff and was a captain’s assistant – shared his views on how the modified {golfing} panorama – together with the influence of LIV – has made life tougher for the Internationals.
However he insists that their fortunes are turning round.
“We have been in a very golden interval there for some time. Undecided why. We had lots of people within the high 10, high 15, high 20 on the earth for an extended time period within the ‘90s and early 2000s,” Els recalled on Sunday night time at Royal Montreal.
“It might be that the best way folks play now it’s robust to choose up World Rating factors. On the US Tour, it’s very aggressive. Simply to remain on Tour, you’re doing very nicely. It’s so aggressive on the Tour, the US PGA Tour. Cash may be very aggressive. Folks need to play within the US It’s robust to play Europe.
‘What was that?!’ – Scottie GOES at Kim | 01:00
“My day, we performed plenty of Europe, picked up plenty of rating factors. I keep in mind going via Dubai, and also you play nicely at Dubai, you’re good to go. You’re high 10 for the remainder of the yr, principally, and among the different tournaments. However that’s form of gone away a bit bit now.
“A number of our gamers have been misplaced to LIV. So, we’re within the course of. These guys could not rank very excessive in world rating, however they’re coming. There’s plenty of good, nice expertise right here, so we’ve bought to offer this a bit little bit of time.
“After they begin profitable tournaments on the US PGA Tour, their actual confidence goes to come back via. Give it a little bit of time. It was a special animal again within the day, however this factor’s coming, I promise you.
“Even the U.S. Workforce, what number of gamers within the high 20 this week? A number of the fellows reside right here. We’ve simply bought to offer it a while. I feel the subsequent yr or so, these guys begin profitable tournaments, the entire thing will change once more.”
Males’s skilled golf is caught in considerably of a holding sample proper now because the PGA Tour and LIV Golf attempt to agree upon how they will obtain the proposed reunification of the 2 excursions which was first introduced in June final yr.
Stories counsel that disagreements concerning monetary penalties for LIV gamers, the continued way forward for LIV amongst others are delaying the method, and Australian golf followers will probably be determined for LIV golfers to be eligible for the Presidents Cup when it returns to our shores in 4 years’ time.
The help for the all-Australian LIV staff ‘Ripper GC’ captained by Smith has been monumental at LIV’s Adelaide event the final two years and the sights and sounds of a jam-packed, hostile gap crowd could be in contrast to what the Presidents Cup has seen earlier than.
The ambiance was comparable at Royal Melbourne in 2019, however LIV has undeniably heightened the parochial nature of Australian crowds, which might profit the Internationals.
So too would having Smith and a few of his colleagues.
USA produce clear sweep on Day 1 | 01:16
SIGHTS SET ON MELBOURNE
The Individuals have by no means misplaced on dwelling soil, so Medinah goes to be robust regardless of Australian Geoff Ogilvy – who has been a captain’s assistant for the final 4 Presidents Cup – being one of many course designers.
Kingston Heath, nonetheless, presents an enormous alternative.
Adam Scott has all however assured that he would be the Worldwide staff captain then.
The query stays if, at age 48, he can comply with in Tiger Woods’ footsteps and be a taking part in captain as Woods did in 2019.
“I feel I can play for an additional couple years. I’ve come this far. If I can play in a pair extra years and contribute some extent, then I’d like to be on a profitable Presidents Cup staff,” Scott stated on the post-tournament press convention.
“Like I stated earlier than, I consider there’s one thing taking place with this staff internally beneath this Defend. I’d like to push alongside and provides it yet one more shot if I can.”
The Internationals will certainly be concentrating on Kingston Heath for his or her second ever victory.
Their solely triumph got here at Royal Melbourne in 1998 and there’s prone to be a robust Australian-flavour to the Worldwide staff in 2028.
Canadian Mike Weir backed in three of his countrymen in Royal Montreal, and Scott might go for much more Australians.
Min Woo Lee – who made his debut this week – expressed his frustrations with solely taking part in two of the 5 periods at Royal Montreal however he’s a star on the rise, is a fan favorite at dwelling and seems prone to play a larger function for the Internationals sooner or later.,
Fellow Australian PGA Tour participant Cam Davis also needs to be within the body.
The 29-year-old debuted within the Presidents Cup two years in the past – however was not picked by captain Mike Weir this time – and he loves the Melbourne Sandbelt having performed, and gained, the fledgling Sandbelt Invitational lately.
Throw LIV participant Lucas Herbert into the combo too together with Jason Day persevering with his profession resurgence and there might be an amazing Australian presence within the Worldwide staff in years to come back.
The inclusion of most of these Australians would little question galvanise the house crowd and assist dispel the Presidents Cup’s naysayers.